Coveted Girl
by ActingLovingAardvark
Summary: "Fine, fine, I'll do what you want! Just don't harm them, please." Alex has faced a lot since she stumbled into the Cullen's lives, but this last struggle will test her more than she ever thought possible. Sacrifices will be made... Follows "Their Girl?"
1. Graduation

**Author's Note: I do not own Twilight. Twilight and all of the characters are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Well, thanks to the overwhelming response I got (eleven reviews for the last chapter, woohoo!), I've decided to post the fourth (AND FINAL) story in this series: Coveted Girl! I'm very excited for this story, as there will be new characters and (hopefully) surprising plot twists.**

**So, without further ado, I present to you the first chapter…**

**prologue**

It's funny how life can repeat itself.

Cruelty. Torture. Evil. It may go away for a short period of time…

But it's never truly gone.

I was back in a place that I hoped to never be in again, seeing people I hoped I'd never have to deal with again. The danger was just as great, and I was hoping to just be rid of this situation.

Life doesn't always work out, though.

My life was at stake, but when is it ever not? No one is really invincible to death, and I was no exception to that. I guess some things never change…

There were three options for me now, but it seems that the option I want will not come to me.

I'm not getting out of this the easy way.

Then there are the two other options: death or something that I found so terrible that I would be wishing I was dead. There is a part of me that is strong, and that part has some others wanting me so much that they will use whatever means to get me.

The rest of me isn't very strong, though. Physically… maybe. Otherwise, not so much. I'm not perfect. No one is. I have my flaws, and a sometimes big mouth that gets me in trouble with my enemies.

How I wish I didn't have to face all of this mess. I would be glad to be back where I belong with the people who love me for me and not just something I posses. Like I've said, life doesn't always work out, even though I've been extremely lucky in the past.

Now I realized that if I couldn't be with my loved ones, then I would do everything I could to _protect_ them and to make sure that they didn't face my fate.

Even if it meant sacrificing myself.

"Fine, fine, I'll do what you want!" I shouted. "Just don't harm them, please."

I didn't dare look at the pained faces behind me. I only forced myself to look forward.

That same dastardly king smiled in my face.

"Excellent choice, my dear," he said to me, then turned to the people surrounding him. "Send the rest of them away."

Now I was just a pawn… His pawn.

Let the games begin.

**chapter one**

**may 24****th****, 2013**

"You're going to be fine. I looked at your future, and you strut on stage and get your diploma without a problem."

I looked over at my sister Alice Cullen, and took in her perfectly kept black hair and gold eyes that complemented her purple graduation cap and gown. Alice wasn't really my sister. None of my siblings are actually related to me by blood.

My name is Alex Cullen, and I am seventeen years old. If you wanted to be technical, you could call me Alex Parker-Cullen, using my old last name. At home though, I go by plain old Alex.

Alice is one of my seven adopted siblings. There's her, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, Edward, Bella, and Parker. My adoptive parents are Carlisle and Esme Cullen, the greatest people I know. They adopted me back in the summer of two-thousand nine.

Now, Parker… He is my boyfriend. It may seem weird, but there is a reason behind that.

In reality, based on age, mostly everyone in my family, minus Bella and Parker, would be too old to be my grandparent.

That's because everyone in my family is a vampire.

Everyone except me. Well, and Nessie, but she's half-vampire. I guess that counts for something.

Carlisle is the oldest vampire in our family, and he created everyone in the family excepted for Alice, Jasper, and Bella. He doesn't believe in taking away anyone's mortality unless there is no other option.

Which is why my predicament is different. I now have to be turned into a vampire on the eighth of August this year. Why? Because I made it that way… Well, Aro, the leader of the Volturi, made the finalization.

When Esme and Carlisle's lives were on the line, because of me I might add, I had to find a way to save them. Due to the fact that Aro was sentencing them to death because of keeping me human while I knew they were vampires, why not give him what he wants?

My mortality.

So, here I am, sitting at my high school graduation with seventy-six more days as a human. Alice, posing as a senior like myself, sits beside me. Out in the audience, I know Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, Emmett, Rose, and Parker are sitting there eagerly waiting for me to accept my diploma. Since this is my first time going through high school (but probably not my last), this is a big deal for them.

For me, it's just another day that passes by. Tomorrow, only seventy-five more days.

Another one of my fellow students was called up to the stage, which meant only one more student and then I would be called up.

"We're coming up…" Alice pointed out.

"Yes, Alice, I realize," I replied back.

"Somebody's nervous…" she sang quietly.

"I am _not_ nervous," I told her. I just wanted this to be over, but I wasn't telling her that.

"Sure you're not nervous," she said smugly, leaning back slightly in her chair.

I didn't respond to her.

The boy seated in front of me was called, and he walked towards the stage. I was on the end seat of the next row, and the pattern of students was like a zigzag through the chairs.

"Alex Cullen," the principal said into the microphone.

There was slight applause from the students, more in a polite manner since I wasn't all that popular, but I could hear Emmett cheering in the back.

I got up on stage and received my diploma with no issue, like Alice said, and shook the principal's hand. I hope that Esme was able to get a good photo out of that like she wanted to.

The rest of the students being awarded passed in a blur. Alice was called up, and that was all I really cared about. When she walked on stage she flashed a dazzling smile, and Jasper was whooping along with Emmett. The next thing I knew, Alice was whisking me through the crowd to our family.

I was greeted by Esme, whose smile could probably light up the whole room.

"Congratulations, sweetheart!" she said, giving me a hug.

"Thanks," I replied, trying to carry my voice over the noise in the room.

I gave everyone else a hug, and Carlisle gave me a kiss on the forehead while Emmett decided to pinch my cheek.

"Aww, look at our wittle high school graduate," he cooed.

"Haha, very funny," I sneered, shoving his hand away from my face.

"Always the jokester, Em," Rose said, rolling her eyes.

"Now, how about we go back to the house and celebrate?" Esme asked us excitedly.

"Sounds great!" Alice replied, equally excited.

I drove home in Carlisle's Mercedes with him and Esme, and when we got home we were greeted by Edward, Bella, and Nessie.

"Congrats, Alex!" Nessie said, giving me a hug as soon as I stepped out of the car.

Nessie's growth over the past few years has truly amazed me. Being a hybrid, she ages faster than any normal human being would. She is now six years old, but she looks my age, maybe even older. However, her growth has just about slowed down and now she will look like this forever.

"Thanks, Nessie," I replied.

"Grandma has a surprise inside for you," she whispered in my ear before walking back to Edward and Bella.

"Congratulations, Alex," Bella said, giving me a hug when I walked up on the porch.

"Thank you," I said, giving her a smile. I looked at Edward and he had a knowing look in his eye, knowing that I wasn't as excited about this as the rest of my family was.

"The excitement will die down, eventually," Edward told me as we walked inside.

"Hmm, I can only hope," I muttered.

Inside on the dining room table, Esme had a cake set up. It was a two layer cake with dark chocolate icing, and had a white rose sitting on the top.

"Surprise!" Esme said excitedly, gesturing toward the cake.

I smiled at her. "When did you make this?"

"Before I left for the ceremony," she said. "Besides, Alice had you preoccupied before you had to go."

"More like held me captive," I mumbled. Alice had made me try on five dresses before she finally found one that she thought would be good enough, and then she and Rose did my hair and make-up. It was almost a three-hour ordeal.

"Heard that!" Alice called from the living room.

Esme chuckled as she placed two plates on the table, which I assumed were for Nessie and me. As if on cue, Nessie walked into the kitchen and next to Esme.

"This cake looks amazing…" she murmured. "Is it chocolate cake?"

"Of course," Esme said with a smile.

"Ahh, chocolate cake with chocolate icing," Nessie sighed. "The best kind."

Esme cut us two slices and we took them into the living room so we could sit with everyone else. The two of us sat in front of the coffee table while everyone else sat in the armchairs and couches.

Well, except for Emmett, but who knows where he went off to?

"Wow, Alex, you're a high school graduate now, huh?" Rosalie said jokingly. "Such a grown up girl!"

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered. "But right now, I can only focus on eating this cake. Nothing else matters…" I heard Esme chuckle as she walked into the room.

I glanced at Alice, who was sitting on the couch, and saw her eyes glaze over. She was having a vision, and I was going to ask her what she saw…

When my plate of cake came flying into my face.

**-oOo-**

**So, what did you think? Please review and let me know!**


	2. Chocolate

**Author's Note: I do not own Twilight. Twilight and all of the characters are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Sorry for the longer wait for an update. I've been doing a lot of brainstorming and planning for this story before I wrote this chapter. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.**

**chapter two: chocolate**

**may 24th, 2013**

Cake. Icing. It was all over my face and in my hair. I had to wipe the cake out of my eyes so I could see, and what I saw was that Nessie looked the same. Her face reminded me of a person that had a pie shoved in their face by a clown.

"Aww, what's the matter ladies?" Emmett asked, now appearing beside me. "Did you get your... just deserts? Haha, get it?"

"EMMETT!" Alice roared. "Why on _Earth_ would you do that?"

"C'mon, Uncle Em! Seriously?" Nessie wailed.

"It was a _joke_," he muttered.

"And now you can clean it up," Esme scolded.

He pouted, and I looked at him in disbelief.

"You did this?" I asked. "But... how?"

He smirked. "I ran past you two and maybe just... flicked your plates."

Nessie groaned. "Ugh, this will take forever to get out of my hair."

"I needed a shower, so I might as well just take one now," I sighed, and stood up with my plate.

"Leave your plate, Alex," Esme said. "Emmett will be cleaning that up, too."

"I, for one, think that was worth cleaning up two dishes and the carpet," he said.

Rosalie smacked him in the side of the head. A typical move of hers.

I trudged up the stairs and into my bedroom, which was a little different now. Back in August of two-thousand eleven, we had planned on redoing my room until... things happened. So, it got pushed aside until the beginning of last year. It still had a black and purple theme, with the walls being the same lavender shade. The bed frame was a black, looping iron design with a high-rising headboard. The duvet was a beautiful design with black and white floral silhouettes that had bursts of purple to them.

Other than the change to the bed, everything was still the same. My futon was still placed in its same spot, and my black desk was still on the other side of the room with my MacBook sitting on top.

I walked through my closet and into the bathroom to turn on the shower. It took effort and lots of scrubbing to get the chocolate off my face and out of my hair, but I eventually got out of the shower. It was after eight when I got out, so I figured it would be best to slip on a t-shirt and shorts to sleep in, then head back downstairs.

I walked out into my bedroom, but Parker was sitting on my bed.

"Get all the chocolate off of you?" he asked with a goofy grin. "You were in the shower for a _long_ time."

"Well, what do you expect?" I said. "I looked like some kind of monster."

"A cute monster," he said. I stuck my tongue out at him. "A cute monster that is now a high school graduate."

I looked away from him. "Yep."

"Not excited?" he asked.

"Well, I mean, I'm happy I am done with school, but..."

"It's just another day going by for you?"

I looked back at him. "Yeah... you know me too well."

He shrugged and patted the spot next to him on the bed. I sat down.

"Well, you graduating is exciting," he said. "It's your _first time_ graduating from high school!"

I stared at him. "Last year was _your_ first time graduating from high school, and you didn't seem as excited."

"Well, you're actually seventeen, which is a normal age to graduate. I was twenty-five when I graduated," he told me.

I laughed and shook my head. "I still can't get over the fact that you are in your twenties and you still look my age."

"I've aged well, haven't I?" he said with a wink. I smacked him with one of my pillows.

"Actually, speaking of aging..." I asked. "I never did ask... When is your birthday, Parker?"

He looked up in thought. "Today is the twenty-fourth, right?"

I nodded.

"Oh. Well then... Today's my birthday."

I stared at him. "It is this late in the day, and you just realized it's your birthday?"

"Well, now that I do not age, it's not that important-"

"It's important to me!" I shouted. "Ugh, I wish I would have known about your birthday sooner, because now I feel bad that I did not get you a present or-"

His lips then came down onto mine, silencing me. After a few seconds, he broke the kiss.

"That's enough of a birthday present for me," he whispered in my ear, which gave me chills.

Parker wrapped his arms around my waist, kissing me again as he laid down on his back. I was on top of him, his hands were traveling up and down my sides, and his kisses were making me dizzy. I ran my hands through his hair and then he flipped us over so I was on my back. Making good use of this, I moved my hands from his hair and wrapped my arms around his neck. He placed a single kiss on my neck, my cheek, my nose, until his lips moved back to mine with a passionate kiss.

Suddenly, there was a pound on my bedroom door, which caused me to yelp in surprise.

"Cool it down in there, lovebirds!" Emmet shouted from the other side of the door.

"Go away, Emmett!" I groaned.

I could hear him laughing as his footsteps faded down the hallway.

"You know, he would be pretty pissed if I did that to him and Rosalie, so I don't see why he would do that to us," Parker said.

"I think Emmett's done enough tonight," I said as Parker and I sat up on the bed.

Parker laughed and placed a soft kiss on my cheek.

"Happy birthday, Parker," I said to him with a smile.

"Thank you, angel," he said. "And I'm hoping those kisses were sweeter than the chocolate cake."

I laughed. "A whole lot sweeter."

-**oOo-**

**So, just a little bit of Parker and Alex fluff for 'ya... I'm sorry it's so short! Hopefully the next chapter will be a little longer, but it might take a while to write. Anyway, please review!**


	3. Passing Time

After graduation day was over, it was time for summer vacation. The days passed by quicker than I thought they would, even though we spent our summer lounging around the house and spending time as a family. I myself didn't leave the house, but everyone else did, mostly just to hunt. Before I knew it, June 1st had crept up.

The first of June was a Saturday, and Rosalie, Emmett, Edward, Bella, and Nessie were going away. Rosalie and Emmett were going to spend two weeks traveling Ireland because Alice said they were having an especially rainy spell.

"Not that it doesn't rain there enough," I recall her saying.

On the other hand, Jake had invited Nessie to spend the week with him at La Push, which meant Edward and Bella could go away together. Nessie was going to stay at her biological grandfather Charlie's house, while Edward and Bella went to Isle Esme, the private island Carlisle had bought for Esme. I had found out that Bella was still able to keep in touch with her father even though she had been turned years ago. Bella told me that her eventually did find out about all the werewolf shape-shifting stuff, but with everything else he's on a need-to-know basis... which means he doesn't know our family is a family of vampires. She said he was also becoming close with a nice woman named Sue Clearwater. Her two children, Seth and Leah, were in Jake's pack.

So, while Rose, Emmett, Edward, Bella, and Nessie were away, the rest of us would be staying behind. Carlisle was staying in town because he was working an extra night shift on Sunday along with usual work on the weekdays. Esme was staying because Carlisle was staying. Alice and Jasper were staying because they felt like it and Parker was staying because, well, I was staying.  
>"It's going to be a little quieter around here," Alice told me as we were sitting in the living room.<br>"Personally, I think it would be good for all of us to have a break from Emmett and his practical jokes," I said.  
>Alice laughed. "True, true."<br>"Alice, Parker and I are going to go for a hunt," Jasper said as he walked into the room. "We'll be back in a little bit."  
>"Alright Jasper. Alex and I were actually going to go out anyway," she replied.<br>"We were?" I asked, confused.  
>"Yep, we're going to do a little shopping," she said with a smile. "It will be time for the two of us to spend together."<br>I smiled back. "That sounds fun, and I think it will be nice to get out of the house for a little bit."  
>"That's the spirit!" she cheered, clapping her hands together. "Now, go grab your purse! We've got a long drive to Seattle!"<br>With our purses on our shoulders, we were ready to leave. We headed out onto the front porch and down the stairs. Esme was tending to her garden in the front yard as we passed.  
>"Hi Esme," I said.<br>"Hello, ladies," she replied, standing up from her garden. "And where are you two headed?"  
>"We're going to Seattle for some shopping and sisterly bonding," Alice murmured.<br>Esme smiled. "That sounds fun, but don't get back too late Alice, okay?"  
>"I'll try not to," she sang as she pulled me towards the garage.<br>We walked into the garage and Alice stopped.  
>"Now, which car should we take?" she murmured, tapping her finger on her chin.<br>Rosalie and Emmett had taken his Jeep on their trip, even though they'd be renting a different car in Ireland. Edward took Bella and Nessie in the Volvo.  
>"We can take my car," I said, pointing to my Kia Soul. The car was a bright shade of green, and while Alice had insisted on something fancier, I was perfectly happy with it.<br>She huffed. "Fine. I guess we can take _that_ car."  
>I gave her a look of mock sadness. "You talk about my car like it's a piece of junk. You hurt it's feelings."<br>She rolled her eyes. "Just get in the car. We'll take it if I can drive."  
>"Deal," I muttered, then climbed into the passenger's seat.<br>With that, we were off to Seattle.  
>By the time we got to Seattle, it was twelve-thirty in the afternoon. Alice parked in a parking garage, and we made our way around town to all the shops. When we had hit almost every store, I had three new pairs of jeans, four pairs of capris, two pairs of shorts, at least five pairs of various shoes, four new tops, a cute boyfriend blazer that I picked out, a pair of sunglasses, jewelry, and a black fedora that I begged Alice to get. She gave in after a lot of pleading and puppy dog eyes.<br>We were loaded down with bags, and ended up putting smaller bags into the larger ones. It was almost four when we got back to the parking garage to put away our bags. I had a feeling we weren't done here yet.. Alice stuffed most of bags in the trunk, and put a few in the backseat of my car.  
>"Will the bags be safe in the car?" I asked her.<br>"Yeah, no one will mess with them _or_ the car," she replied with a smile, tapping her temple.  
>I nodded, and then my stomach growled.<br>"Sorry," I mumbled. "I haven't had anything to eat since breakfast."  
>"There was a coffee shop a little ways down the road," she told me. "Want to stop there before we head home?"<br>"Please," I said. "I could use something to eat right now."  
>We left the parking garage and walked down the street to the café and walked inside. Lucky for us there were only two other people here, so we walked right up to the counter.<br>"Hello," the teen at the counter said. She had long, light-brown hair that was pulled up into a ponytail and a beauty mark above her lip. "What can I get for you today?"  
>"Can I get a Caramel Frappuchino and a brownie?" I asked.<br>She nodded, then looked at Alice. I could tell she was trying not to stare. Alice could obviously tell as I could see her mouth twitch, trying not to smile.  
>"I'll have a Caramel Frappuchino as well," Alice said, now flashing a smile.<br>The girl nodded and went to fix our drinks. When she was out of hearing range, I looked at Alice.  
>"A prop?" I whispered, referring to the drink she ordered.<br>She nodded once as the teen came back over with my brownie.  
>"Your drinks will be ready in a few minutes," she muttered.<br>"Take your time," Alice said, giving her another big smile.  
>The girl looked down and scurried away.<br>"Stop it," I said, giggling into my hand. "I think you're crushing her self-esteem."  
>Alice shook her head. "Watch this."<br>The girl came back with our two coffees. "That'll be ten dollars and twenty-eight cents."  
>Alice handed her a twenty. "Keep the change. Oh, and by the way, your hair is very pretty."<br>The girl blushed furiously. "T-thank you. Have a nice day."  
>"You too," Alice smiled, walking away to one of the tables against the wall of the café. I followed behind her.<br>"That was nice of you," I said as we sat down.  
>"It's the least I can do," Alice said with a wink. "it wasn't a lie, though. Her hair was very shiny."<br>I giggled then took a sip of my frappuchino. After walking and shopping for hours, this really hit the spot.  
>"Is it good?" Alice inquired.<br>"Extremely," I murmured.  
>"Sometimes I wonder what I'm missing out on," she whispered.<br>We sat in silence for a moment. Alice pretended to sip on her frappuchino as I munched on my brownie.  
>"So... sixty-eight more days, huh?" she asked me.<br>I swallowed my bite of brownie.  
>"Time really flies, doesn't it?"<br>I just stared at her. I hadn't thought about the transformation all day. As much as I wanted to be turned, it still made me a little nervous.  
>"There's something I've been..." she said, then paused to lean across the table. "Seeing, that leaves me slightly confused."<br>"What is it?" I asked.  
>"Well, it's about you," she told me. "And you're different."<br>"Different as in"- I glanced at the other people in the café that were getting up to leave - "Past August eighth different?"  
>She nodded.<br>"Well, what happens?" I questioned.  
>"The vampire you is standing in the forest," she said quietly. "Your eyes are bright red, which means you are a newborn... I hope."<br>"You _hope_?" I asked  
>"Like I said, this vision is leaving me slightly confused. There's not much details," she murmured. "But anyway, I say that I hope you're a newborn, because your eyes... seem sad. Empty. You looked depressed, and lost... It makes me worried that something happened... Maybe you slipped up."<br>She paused, then continued.  
>"Then you looked up and said 'I had a feeling you would be here', then the vision was over," she said. "I don't know what's going on, or what it means. It's slightly fuzzy."<br>"Do you think Nessie's involved?" I asked. "That could explain it."  
>"I honestly don't know," she sighed, gripping her coffee cup.<br>Suddenly, a memory came back to me. "On graduation night, was this the vision you had before Emmett tipped my plate into my face?"  
>She laughed and shook her head. "No, that was actually a vision showing me that he was going to tip your plate into your face... I was a little late to warn you."<br>We both laughed, and then I took another sip of my frappuchino.  
>"Well, we better get going," Alice said. "We've got a long drive ahead of us, and Esme said not to get home too late."<br>I nodded and stood up from the table, following Alice out the door. We walked back to the parking garage, got in the car, and began our drive home.  
>It was a little after eight-thirty when we got home. I ended up showering and going straight to bed because I was just plain tired.<br>My dream that night was calm. It was of me, but I didn't really look like myself. It was like looking at an enhanced version of me. My hair was sleek and shiny, my face was free of any marks, and my newly pale skin stood out greatly.  
>My red eyes were what really caught my attention, though. The color was bright, almost like two rubies had been stuck there. However, there seemed to be sadness in my eyes. Pain seemed to be etched into my flawless features.<br>It then occurred to me that I was picturing Alice's vision. The forest, myself alone as a vampire, my eyes... Exactly how she described it. The dream wasn't in my point of view, though, because of the fact that I was looking at myself. It was like I was a ghost, watching real life unfold in front of me.  
>I, well, the vampire version of me, looked straight ahead at what seemed to be nothing. I glanced to my left, where the other me seemed to be staring, and saw not a person nor thing there. Only trees, if that even counted.<br>I looked back at myself and a small, sad smile spread across the vampire me's face. The last thing I remember of the dream was the same phrase Alice mentioned to me only hours ago.  
><em>"I had a feeling you would be here."<em>  
>I wouldn't classify this dream as a nightmare, even though I woke up with my heart racing. The dream wasn't scary, and nothing really happened. I haven't had true nightmares in a little over a year, but why was this dream still bothering me? Was Alice's confusion about her vision making me nervous?<br>Time passed quickly, almost too quickly. The month of June rushed by faster than a bullet train, and July 1st was here before I knew it. Edward, Bella, and Nessie came back a week after me and Alice's shopping trip. Rosalie and Emmett were back a week after them.  
>I spent most of my time in the house, but occasionally I did get out for a bit. Mostly I went to run errands with Esme or went on forest walks with someone, but it was still nice. I think everyone was trying to keep me safe and in one piece for the summer. No need for me to get seriously hurt before I was changed...<br>The fourth of July was a Thursday this year, and Nessie had been invited by Jake to spend it in La Push so they could light off some fireworks.  
>"He said you were more than welcome to come to La Push, too," Nessie told me. "Besides, I would love for you to visit. Grandpa's supposed to be coming, too!"<br>"Carlisle's coming to the beach?" I asked, confused.  
>"No, my grandpa Charlie," she told me. "I would like you to meet him. I've told him about you."<br>"Sure, I guess I can meet him when I'm there," I said.  
>"Cool!" she cheered. "We'll get there Thursday afternoon, then Jake's gonna drive us back here. It will be late when we get back, but whatever."<br>On that Thursday, Nessie and I climbed into Edward's Volvo. He drove us up to Washington, all the way to the vampire/werewolf border, where we met Jake. After saying goodbye to Edward, Nessie and I then got into Jake's for the short rest of the drive.  
>"We're going over to my place for dinner," Jake told us as we drove. "Billy's making spaghetti for dinner, and Charlie's going to be eating with us."<br>"I remember Bella saying that he was managing all the details about what everybody is..." I murmured. "So, he knows that you're a shape-shifter and that Nessie..."  
>"He has been told that Nessie has a growth defect, which explains- to him- why Nessie looks much older than she should."<br>We pulled into the driveway of his little red house, and I didn't say anymore. Nessie excitedly jumped out of the car, and Jake and I followed behind her.  
>A brown-haired man wheeled Billy out and down the front ramp to us.<br>"Hello Nessie, Alex," Billy said politely.  
>"Hello," Nessie and I both replied.<br>"Alex, this is Charlie," Jake told me, gesturing to brown-haired man.  
>"Nice to meet you," he said, outstretching his hand.<br>I shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, too."  
>"Well, let's go inside, shall we?" Billy said.<br>Everyone nodded and headed into the house.  
>"We'll be eating in the backyard, since it's a little cramped in here," Jake said as we walked inside.<br>"Sounds good," I said.  
>Nessie ran over and gave her grandfather a hug.<br>"You're even taller this time, Ness," Charlie said.  
>"Well, I think my growth will slow down soon, Grandpa," she told him.<br>"I certainly hope so," he said. "I still want you to be my little granddaughter for a while... Even though you're not really little anymore."  
>She smiled at him.<p>

**-oOo-**

**So, I decided I'd put my author's note at the end of the chapter, see how I like the formatting and stuff. I really need to apologize... I've been really neglectful of this story, and there's no excuse for it. This isn't how I wanted the final story to go... So, I really hope you're still reading, and you'll take some time out of your surely busy schedules to leave me a review. Thanks :) **


	4. Mishap

**Author's Note: I do not own Twilight. Twilight and all of the characters are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Alright, so I didn't like the Author's Note being all at the end... Man, look at me being all fancy and updating in a week :D I only got four reviews for the last chapter (which is four more than I was expecting), so thank you to you guys that reviewed. If your haven't read Chapter 3: Passing Time, make sure you read that first.**

**You're probably going to be mad at me, but this is necessary, I swear! Well... I feel it's necessary...**

**chapter 4**

**july 11th, 2013**

A week passed after the fourth of July celebration, and the week had been just as uneventful as the rest of the summer. Esme had been trying to entertain me though, by teaching me how to cook. At first I was a little hesitant because, well, I won't be needing to cook myself human food for that much longer... but then I figured I might as well learn. It was either that or sit around and do nothing.

It was eight in the evening, when Esme came up to me with an idea.  
>"How about we make a simple dessert tonight?" she asked. "Do brownies sound nice?"<br>I laughed. "That sounds absolutely delicious."  
>"Great!" she said with a smile. "Let me make sure we have everything we need in the kitchen..."<br>She walked into the kitchen, and I followed behind her. It never ceases to amaze me that even though the food in the house is just for me (and occasionally Nessie, when she wants to eat human food), there always seems to be everything we need.  
>Esme opened a cabinet above the oven and frowned.<br>"What's wrong?" I asked.  
>She sighed. "I thought we had cocoa in this cabinet, but I guess not..."<br>"That's not a problem," I said. "I'll just run to the grocery store and get some."  
>"You don't have to-" she began, but I interrupted her.<br>"We can't make brownies without cocoa, can we?" I asked. "Besides, I was _really_ looking forward to those brownies..."  
>She laughed. "Alright, go ahead. Oh, and while you are out, can you pick up some more flour? I think we are low on that too..."<br>"Gotcha," I said, heading towards the stairs to grab my phone and purse from my room. On my way, I passed Rosalie. She seemed to be the only other person in the house right now besides Esme... Unless Carlisle was in his study, which he probably was.  
>"What are you doing?" she asked kindly.<br>"Grabbing my stuff. I'm running to the grocery store to get some flour and cocoa," I told her.  
>"Ah. Well, have fun with that," she replied, heading down the stairs.<br>I grabbed my stuff from my room and headed to the garage.  
>"I'll be back in a bit, Esme," I called out as I was leaving.<br>"Take your time," she said as I shut the front door behind me. I hopped in my Kia Soul and backed out of the garage, driving down our private gravel driveway.  
>It only took me ten minutes to get to the grocery store. The parking lot was close to empty, only about five cars parked there. It made sense, seeing as it was a Thursday evening and most families in town were away on summer vacation, anyway.<br>I grabbed a basket as I walked through the automatic doors, my shoes clicking on the tile floors. The baking goods were in the back of the store, so I headed back there and grabbed the bag of flour and container of cocoa in a flash.  
>Walking back towards the front of the store I saw only two registers were open, but since there was no line where at the register that wasn't self checkout, I figured I'd go there.<br>"Good evening, sweetheart," the woman at the register said.  
>I loaded the flour and cocoa onto the belt. "Hello."<br>"Will this be all for you tonight?" she asked.  
>"Yes, that's it," I said.<br>I paid with my credit card, and the cashier placed the cocoa and flour in a plastic bag. She handed me the bag and smiled.  
>"Hope you have a good evening," she said.<br>"Thanks, you too," I replied.  
>I walked out the door and back to my car, placing the bag and my purse in the passenger seat. I buckled my seat belt, started the car, and headed back home.<br>The road towards home was empty, which was eerie. Usually I would see at least one car pass me by...  
>I kept driving down the road, getting relatively close to the turn for our driveway when...<br>A deer jumped out into the road.  
>He jumped out into my lane, so I tried to swerve to the left, but ended up shooting across the other lane and into the grass. Turns out, though, there was a ditch and I ended up flying down that hill that led to the ditch...<br>And into a tree.  
>My arms flew up to protect my face just seconds before the car collided with the tree. The airbags flew out, and thank god my arms were up or I'd have a face full of airbag.<br>I shoved the now deflating airbag out of the way enough so that I could unbuckle my seat belt. I reached over into the passenger seat and grabbed my bags, then opened my door and climbed out.  
>I walked around to the front of the car. There was now a nice dent where it slammed into the tree.<br>I sighed and ran my hand through my hair.  
>"Well, this is just great," I muttered to myself.<br>When I lowered my arm, I noticed various cuts and two large bruises. Were these from the airbag? I looked at my left arm and there were two gashes about the size of a quarter each and a bruise close to my wrist.  
>I looked over at the grocery bag and examined the flour and cocoa. Surprisingly, none of the packaging of either one of the items was damaged.<br>Suddenly, my phone started ringing in my purse. I rummaged around to find it, and when I grabbed it I had a feeling I knew who it was...  
>"Hello?" I said.<br>"Alex, Alex, oh god!" Alice shouted frantically through the phone. "I saw you get into an accident! Are you alright?"  
>"Alice, calm down, I'm fine," I said. "Just a few bruises and cuts on my arms. My car, though, is far from fine."<br>Alice sighed. "Okay. Carlisle, Parker, and I are coming to get you. Just stay where you are."  
>"Okay," I mumbled.<br>Merely a minute later, Alice, Carlisle, and Parker came through the tree line.  
>"Are you alright?" Carlisle asked, rushing over to me. "Let me see your arms."<br>I held out my arms and he examined the cuts. When he gently touched one of the gashes, I winced.  
>"Those gashes are somewhat deep," he told me. "We better get back to the house so I can clean them up and bandage them."<br>I looked over at Parker, who was standing slightly away from me.  
>"Are you okay?" I asked.<br>"Just being cautious," he muttered quickly.  
>"You'll be fine, Parker," Alice said, patting his arm.<br>"Let's get going," Carlisle said, lifting me onto his back. "Esme and Rosalie are worried sick."  
>"What about the car?" I asked.<br>"Parker, Jasper, and Emmett will take care of it," he told me as he began to run.  
>We made it back to the house within a minute, Parker and Alice behind us. As Carlisle approached the house, Esme and Rosalie came out onto the front porch and went down the steps. I climbed down from Carlisle's back and they ran over to me.<br>"Alex, are you alright?" Esme asked.  
>"Well, the flour and cocoa didn't have a scratch, but I can't say the same for me," I mumbled.<br>I held out my arms to show her and Rosalie, but quickly put them back to my sides. What a great idea, show the two of them my bleeding arms. That'll work out well.  
>Esme, though, did something that surprised me. She reached out for the arm with the two deeper gashes and held it, studying it for a second.<br>"These cuts are not too severe, Carlisle... Right?" she asked, looking over at him.  
>"Not severe at all," he said. "She'll heal just fine."<br>I knew Carlisle was behind me, but I didn't turn to look at him. I just looked right at Esme. I knew she had self-control, but when she grabbed my bleeding arm... I thought only Carlisle would be able to do that. Glancing over at Rosalie, I saw she was looking at Esme as well, but I couldn't decipher her expression.  
>"I have some gauze and disinfecting spray in my study, Alex," Carlisle said, guiding me towards the front door. I nodded and went inside, walking up the stairs.<br>When I walked in Carlisle's study, I took a seat on the corner of his desk. I was just expecting him to walk in, but Esme came in right behind him.  
>"By the way you're looking at me, I have a feeling I'm taking you by surprise," she said.<br>"Well... It's not that I'm doubting your control or anything, but you grabbed my bleeding arm, and now you're in here... When did your control heighten like that? Um, I'm not saying that your control wasn't high before-"  
>"It's alright, I understand," she said with a smile. "It's gotten a lot better since you've come along."<br>I smiled at her and looked down at my arm, which Carlisle was now disinfecting. I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth, trying to get past the slight stinging.  
>I looked over at Esme, who was staring down at her hands folded in her lap. She was so still, she could have passed as a statue.<br>Carlisle wrapped the gauze around both spots on my arms where the most damage was. I knew I would be safe if Esme somehow _did_ lose control because Carlisle is here, but I don't think Esme would attack me... Would she?  
>"There, that should be it," Carlisle said as he fastened the gauze.<br>"Thank you, Carlisle," I murmured as jumped off his desk.  
>"We'll have to change the bandaging in the morning, don't forget that," he said.<br>"I won't," I assured him as he walked out of the study.  
>Esme wrapped her arm around my shoulder and sighed.<br>"You okay?" I asked her.  
>She nodded. "Yes, I'm fine... It just makes me sad to see that you are just about as tall as I am now. You aren't the little thirteen year old anymore."<br>I gave her a small smile. "Well, I'm still pretty short."  
>Esme laughed. "Hmm, I guess so... and I am also guessing that, with the current circumstances, we'll save the brownie making for another night?"<br>"Yeah, that's probably a good idea," I said with a laugh.  
>Esme shook her head. "I should have never let you go to the store..."<br>"It's not your fault," I said. "If it's anybody's fault, it's the deer's."  
>"You could have been seriously hurt," she muttered.<br>"But I wasn't," I told her.  
>She sighed again. "I guess that is what's important..."<br>We both headed out of Carlisle's study and downstairs to the living room. Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie were waiting for us.  
>"Well, we took care of your car, kiddo," Emmett said. "Let's just say we made it...disappear."<br>"That sounds pretty sketchy," I said with a giggle.  
>Jasper chuckled to himself. "Well, Emmett and I are going to join Parker hunting. We'll be back shortly."<br>With that, the two of them headed out the back door.  
>"I actually think I'll be joining them for a bit," Esme said. "Rosalie, will you be staying here?"<br>Rosalie nodded, and Esme followed behind Jasper and Emmett.  
>Then, it was just Rosalie and I. I looked over at her, and she was staring at me silently.<br>"Are you okay, Rose?" I inquired. "You've been awfully quiet."  
>"You were almost killed tonight," she whispered.<br>"Rosalie, I hit a deer, and I only have a few scratches. That's all," I muttered.  
>"It could have been a lot worse," she said.<br>"Yes, it could have been, but it _wasn't_," I murmured.  
>She just looked at me, and it took me a second to realize what this was about.<br>"Being transformed four weeks earlier wouldn't make much of a difference," I mumbled.  
>"Any amount of time will make a difference!" she shouted. "It's bad enough that your being changed as it is, but only a month from now? Time is moving too quickly!"<br>"You know I had no choice-"  
>"You shouldn't have given away your mortality!" she muttered.<br>"Oh, then what should I have done, Rosalie? Let Carlisle and Esme _DIE_?" I yelled.  
>She froze, then stared at her feet. I just looked at her until she looked back at me.<br>"I'm sorry..." she whispered. "Sometimes I..."  
>I stopped her mid-sentence and gave her a hug.<br>"I'm sorry for yelling," I said.  
>She let out a bitter laugh and shook her head. "Don't apologize."<br>I was quiet for a moment. "Everything's going to be okay, Rose. No matter what, I'll still be your little sister."  
>"It doesn't look that way anymore, does it?" she sighed. "You seem my age now... On the outside."<br>"If only people knew our _real_ age difference," I said.  
>Rosalie laughed and wrapped her arms around me for another hug.<br>"Love you, Rose," I whispered.  
>She sighed. "Love you too, little sis."<p>

**-oOo-**

**Aww, Rosalie and Alex are such cute sisters... When they're not yelling at each other about Alex being turned ;)**

**Please, please, PLEASE review!**


	5. Eighteen

**Author's Note: I do not own Twilight. Twilight and all of the characters are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**chapter five**

**july 18th, 2013**

My scars we slowly but surely healing, the deep wounds starting to close up. Although, me beginning to heal did not mean that my family would let me out of their sight. Almost always, someone was with me, covering their surveillance with the excuse "Oh, I'm just spending time with you". It wasn't that I did not enjoy my family's company, but I wasn't allowed to go _anywhere_. I was only able to freely roam the house... and it made me feel like a child. I know they are just trying to keep me safe until the eighth of August, but it's still annoying.

A week passed after the car accident with the constant watching. When I woke up in the morning, I opened my eyes to see Parker sitting on the edge of my bed. He moved over to my side and kissed me on the cheek.

"Good morning, angel," he whispered.

I gave him a smile. "It is now."

"And let me be the first to say-" he began, but was interrupted when my bedroom door flew open.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ALEX!" Alice yelled. "Ha ha, I win, Parker!"

She pumped her fist triumphantly and ran out of my room.

"Birthday?" I asked. "It's July eighteenth already?"

"Yes, and you are now officially eighteen years old," he said. "Happy birthday."

July eighteenth. That meant three more weeks...

Of me being human.

_C'mon_, I need to snap out of this. Why am I dreading the transformation so much? It's what I want, and it is what's best. What is making me so nervous? Is it the remembrance of the... burning, that I felt after Nathaniel bit me years ago? I would have thought that pain would have been forgotten by now, but it is still etched in my memory.

"I thought you'd be a little more excited," Parker told me, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Well, I guess I am..." I mumbled, pulling aside my covers and climbing out of bed.

"You don't seem like it," he pointed out.

I didn't answer him as I headed downstairs. Alice had disappeared, and nobody else was in sight.

"Where is everybody?" I asked Parker as he came down the stairs behind me.

"They all went out... Carlisle had work, Esme went out to run some errands, and I think everyone else is hunting," he told me. "They did not want to have a big celebration, because they knew you weren't all too excited about your birthday..."

"Oh..." I mumbled. "Okay."

"what? Now you're wishing for a birthday celebration?" he asked me with a smirk. "You seem to be contradicting yourself."

I shoved him, but he barely budged.

"Well, I guess the two of us can hang out together, then..." he murmured.

I turned to look at him. He started to slowly lean in like he was going to kiss me, but before our lips touched... He was gone.

I groaned. "Where did you go?" I called out.

"I'm in your room," he yelled back.

I climbed up the stairs and went in my room to find him on my bed... With a chess set.

"Want to play chess? If you're going to survive the nights with this family, you need to be good at chess," he told me.

"I don't think I have ever played chess," I said.

"What? Ridiculous?" he said in a joking tone. "Well then I _must_ teach you."

"Fine, teach me," I said, sticking out my tongue. "But will I be able to get some breakfast soon? I _am_ human, you know, and even though I'm not exactly _starving_ right now, it doesn't mean I won't be in a little bit."

"How about if you beat me in chess, we'll go get you breakfast," he said.

"Yeah, because _that's_ going to happen," I muttered.

"Okay fine," he said with a smirk. "If you lose, we can still go get you some breakfast."

I shook my head at him and sat down on the bed.

"So, do you know the basic rules of chess?" he asked.

"Um.. I think so?" I said.

"And what are the basics?"

"Well, I think the goal is to capture the king, right?" I asked.

He chuckled. "Well, yes, but there are some other important things you are going to need to know..."

Parker taught me all the rules, which took me a while to take in and remember. There were _so_ many rules. We ended up only playing part of one game before my stomach growling began to annoy the both of us, but in that period of time I managed to capture some of his chess pieces. Granted, the pieces were mostly pawns, but it was better than nothing. Of course he beat me, but I was expecting that.

"You're underestimating yourself," he told me as we headed downstairs to the kitchen. "I bet you could beat me."

"Yeah, in a couple of years. Maybe," I mumbled as I went to grab a box of waffles from the cabinet.

"Don't eat those," Parker said. "It's your birthday, for god's sake."

"Well, what else am I going to eat?" I asked him.

"What about the cinnamon rolls?" he said.

I turned to look at him, and he moved aside to reveal a tray of Esme's cinnamon rolls... A steaming tray of cinnamon rolls.

I just stared at them for a second, then glanced back at Parker.

"Where is Esme? Really?" I asked him, grabbing a cinnamon roll of the tray and taking a bite of it.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I honestly don't know where she is. She told me she was going to run errands. I wasn't expecting cinnamon rolls to be here..."

I raised my eyebrows. "Are you telling me the truth?"

"Okay, okay!" he muttered. "She may be _somewhere_ in the area, but where exactly I don't know."

I shook my head. "Not celebrating... I should have known. How could Alice pass up a birthday? They're up to something, I know it."

"Well, I wouldn't be so sure-" Parker began, but he was interrupted when I glared at him. Instead of responding, he dashed out of sight. At vampire speed, of course.

I huffed and crossed my arms. "That's the second time you've done that today!"

I walked upstairs to my room, but he was not in there, which made me figure he was in his own room. I headed there next, but before I could get there something- or should I say Parker -ran past me at inhuman speed, knocking me to the floor. Right on my back.

"Oops, sorry angel," he said, now hovering over top of me. He extended his hand and I grabbed it, picking myself off the floor.

In mock anger, I crossed my arms and turned away from him.

"I'm sorry angel. Did I upset you?" he asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

I did not answer him as I stormed back to my room.

"Angel, I'm sorry. I was just joking around," he said. "Honest, angel, I didn't mean to upset you."

He called me angel a lot when he thought I was mad at him. I could rarely get mad at him, though, so most of the time I was messing with him for messing with _me_.

I could hear him stop behind me when I was facing my bed.

"Angel?" he said quietly.

I turned to look at him, and before he moved I crashed my lips to his.

"That was for leading me on earlier," I joked when I broke the kiss.

He sighed. "I thought you were upset with me."

"You know I really can't get mad at you," I said, giving him another peck on the lips.

He ran his hands through my hair, which almost made me melt.

"You know, I still need to get dressed," I said. "It's almost noon."

"Fine, fine, have it your way," he sneered. "But even though Alice isn't here, I would wear something _completely_ casual."

I rolled my eyes and walked into my closet, shutting the door behind me. I grabbed my favorite pair of skinny jeans, and to satisfy Alice, a sparkly silver top. I figured I'd put my boyfriend blazer on top to make myself happy. I slipped on some silver ballet flats and left my closet.

Parker nodded. "I have a feeling Alice will approve. Well, I think anything sparkly makes her happy."

"Don't let her hear you say that," I giggled. "Before you know it, your entire wardrobe will be converted into sparkly clothes."

He smacked himself in the forehead. "Why did you have to say that?"

"Oh, what's the matter, Parker?" I asked with a sneer. "Afraid she'll hear you? Oh, wait, according to what you say, she's hunting. She shouldn't be focused on you and I at _all_."

He mumbled under his breath that I did not catch.

"What did you say?" I inquired.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" he asked. "And before you say anything, they went farther out to hunt today. Not their usual spot... so we won't interfere with their hunt."

I laughed. "Then yes, I would _love_ to go for walk."

Was Parker telling the truth when he said they went far away for their hunting trip, or was this part of some plan? It made sense, though, that they wouldn't be near... _if _they were hunting at all. It would not be safe to take me anywhere near a thirsty, hunting vampire.

Parker and I headed out the backdoor, onto the deck, and down the stairs. There was no rain, but it was overcast. A slight breeze blew, ruffling the leaves of trees above me.

"At least it's not raining," I sighed.

"And it is somewhat warm out," he added.

I nodded as we kept walking. We walked and walked until the house was no longer in sight.

"We're awfully quiet," I said, breaking the awkward silence that had formed.

All of the sudden, Parker froze and his head jerked to the right.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, but he covered my mouth with his hand and put a finger to his lips.

I froze, too, as Parker looked around. His eyes seemed to lock on one thing as they narrowed and he snarled.

"Don't. Move," he said to me, pulling me into his chest. Even if I _wanted_ to move, I couldn't because of his tight grip on me. I couldn't move my head, so I was just staring right into his chest.

"Leave," I heard Parker snarl to someone, to which the other person snarled back.

Another vampire.

"This isn't your territory," Parker growled. "Get. Away. NOW."

Suddenly, I was thrust to the ground, into the grass. My face was in the ground, and I couldn't see anything. Someone's foot was pushing me into the ground, and I wasn't able to move. When I had been thrown down, I saw a flash of blonde hair.

"You let her go!" Parker snarled, before I heard him let out a grunt. There was a smack, and I didn't hear him speak again.

"Let me go! What did you do to him?" I shouted, but it was muffled by the grass.

My captor shoved a bag over my face so I couldn't see, then they picked me up and ran.

"Parker! _Parker!_" I shouted, but he didn't answer. The person holding me just kept running and running.

This vampire just kept running for what seemed like forever. I had no idea where I was being taken, and who had taken me... Was this a member of the Volturi? Were they taking me away because I was still human? The date was set for three weeks _after_ my eighteenth birthday, not _on_ my eighteenth birthday!

My captor started slowing down, and I heard a door open. It felt like we climbed up a small flight of stairs, and I could hear the door shut behind us. Where did they take me?

I was thrown down onto a carpeted floor, and I landed with a thud. The bag was ripped off my head and I saw...

My family?

"SUPRISE!" Everyone shouted. "Happy birthday, Alex!"

_Everyone_ was here- Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, Jasper, Parker, Edward, Bella, Nessie, and even Jake.

"What in the _world_?" I shouted. "Was that some sort of a practical joke?"

"Pretty much, yes," Esme said with a giggle.

I stared at her. "You went along with this?"

She shrugged. "In my defense, I merely just went along with it. It was mostly Emmett, Jasper, Alice, and Rosalie's idea."

"_WHY_?" I yelled, looking at them.

"We needed to get you out of the house so we could decorate!" Alice said, gesturing to the living room.

I looked around. Light pink streamers hung from the wall and the ceiling. Bright blue balloons were weighted down and were sitting on the floor. Little twinkling lights were also hung from the ceiling, and there was a banner that said "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ALEX!"

I sighed. "It looks really beautiful, you guys. Thank you."

"Now we have to give you your presents!" Alice cheered.

She grabbed my shoulders, which looked pretty funny seeing as she was slightly shorter than me, and steered me towards the couch. I sat down and Rosalie handed me a box wrapped in blue paper.

"That is from Edward, Nessie, Jake, and I," Bella told me.

I unwrapped the box and inside were all kinds of art supplies: watercolor paints, pastels, drawing pencils, and colored pencils. At the bottom of the box were two new sketchbooks.

"Wow, these are all so nice," I said.

"There's also one more present from us," Edward murmured.

"An easel!" Nessie shouted excitedly. "It's in your room!"

"Really?" I asked. I started to get up to go to my room, but Alice pushed me back down onto the couch.

"You can go look at it _after_ you finish opening the rest of your presents," she said.

I looked at Edward and Bella. "Thank you for the gifts. I love them."

Bella smiled.

Alice handed me a small box. "This is from Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, and I," she said.

I undid the white bow on top and lifted off the lid, gaping at what I saw.

"It's a charm bracelet," she told me. "There is a charm for the first letter of the name of every family member."

Sure enough, there was an A for Alex, P for Parker, C and E for Carlisle and Esme, A and J for Alice and Jasper, R and E for Rosalie and Emmett, B and E for Bella and Edward, and they actually got an N for Nessie instead of an R. I'm sure that was her doing.

I held up the silver bracelet and twirled it between my fingers.

"It's gorgeous," I breathed. "Thank you."

I slid it on my wrist as Esme came and sat down next to me. "There is one more present from Carlisle, Parker and I."

She reached into her pocket and grabbed my hand, placing the object in it. It was a car key.

I laughed as she said, "It's the same car model, just in silver."

"If we had to get _that _car again, it couldn't be in green," Alice sneered.

I laughed again. "Thank you, everybody. These presents are absolutely great."

Nessie grabbed my hand and yanked me off the couch. "Let's go look at the easel now!"

"Yes, let's go," I said to her with a smile.

When ran up the stairs and into my room to see a black easel in the corner with a pink bow wrapped around it. A package of large paper was sitting next to it. There was even a matching black stool.

"This is _such_ a nice easel," I said.

"Like the pink bow?" she asked. "I did that part."

I laughed. "Yes, it is a very beautiful bow."

She giggled and I gave her a hug.

"Happy birthday, Alex," she said.

**-oOo-**

**Ugh, I know! The update took too long! I'm sorry :( Well, I hoped you liked this chapter. Please review!**


	6. Gratitude

**Author's Note: I do not own Twilight. Twilight and all of the characters are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**There is only **_**one**_** more chapter until what I believe you are all waiting for... And you all can thank CloudyNight for this chapter. She convinced me to get off my lazy butt and update.**

**chapter 6**

**august 7th, 2013**

**-oOo-**

The days after my birthday were the fastest of all. Those three weeks felt more like three days. My new car sat unused in the garage, because it is not like I would actually be allowed to go anywhere. I probably could have asked to leave before now, but at this point it would be unreasonable to ask... That was not going to stop me, though.

It was two-thirty in the afternoon, and the only people home were Alice and I, but _where_ in the house Alice was I wasn't sure. Rosalie, Carlisle, and Esme were at Edward and Bella's cottage, while Emmett, Jasper, and Parker went for a hunt. Jake had been by early this morning to visit Nessie, but he had left several hours ago.

Thinking of him and the rest of his pack had given me an idea as to something I wanted to do before I was turned.

Jacob and the members of his pack had done a lot to help my family. When I had been held hostage by Nathaniel and his followers, the wolves came with my family to get me back. They fought, and killed other vampires... all because my family asked. I do not think I can ever thank them enough for that.

I would definately try, though.

I ran into my room and grabbed the closest purse to me, then threw in my car keys, my phone, and my wallet. Slinging it over my shoulder, I made a mad dash out the front door and to the garage, but...

I was stopped by Alice.

"And where do you think _you're_ going?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"I need to go to La Push," I said simply.

"No," she said.

"Why not?" I questioned.

"it's not safe to be going out by yourself, and it's not like I could really _accompany_ you..." she murmured.

"I need to do this, Alice," I said.

"I understand you want to thank them," she told me, "But you can tell Jake the next time you see him, or you can give him a call-"

"It needs to be sincere, Alice," I muttered. "They've done a lot to help me... To help us. I need to thank them _properly_, which is why I need to go. By myself. I need to drive to La Push, and talk to them face to face."

She did not answer me.

"Why don't you check my future?" I asked. "If there are any signs of trouble that you see, I won't go. It's as simple as that."

"You know I can't see the wolves," she said.

"I know that, but it's not like I'll be coming home with any of the wolves. I'll be driving home alone. Can't you see me coming back to the house?" I said.

She closed her eyes for a second, then she looked back at me. Sighing, she reached in my purse and took my phone out of my bag, typing something into it.

She handed it back to me and said, "That's the address to Jacob's home. There's a GPS and stand in the glovebox of your car. Plug in the address to get there."

I smiled, then gave her a big hug. "Thank you, Alice!"

"Yeah, yeah..." she muttered. "But _you_ are going to be the one to deal with everyone else when you get home."

"Of course," I said.

I began to walk towards the garage, but she stopped me again.

"Alex... Promise me one thing?" she asked.

"What is it?" I inquired.

"Promise me you'll stay safe for at least one more night?" she asked.

I nodded. "I promise, Alice."

She smiled. "Hurry back."

"I will," I said, heading towards the garage.

I ripped the big red bow off the front of the car's hood and climbed in the driver's seat, throwing my purse beside me. I grabbed the GPS and typed in Jacob's address, then set it on its stand on the dashboard. One of the buttons in the car was already programmed to open the garage door, so I started up the car and pushed it then rolled out onto the driveway.

Alice was still standing in the front yard as I drove away. She gave me a slight wave, and I waved back. The charms of my bracelet jingled when I did so. I loved this bracelet, and I haven't taken it off since I got it... Well, except to sleep and shower.

The GPS displayed that I had around a three hour drive ahead of me. I just decided to drive in silence and enjoy the quiet. Silence was something that rarely came in the Cullen home... Especially when you had a brother like Emmett.

Thinking of Emmett made me think of how everyone would react when Alice told them I had left. Parker would probably be upset and wanting to follow after me, Esme and Rose would be nervous, Jasper would agree with his wife's decision and probably have to calm everyone down, and Carlisle would probably be nervous, too, but would he hide it? I hoped that they would have faith in me to survive the day. That left me to think about Emmett. Would he be nervous, like an overprotective brother, or would he just be enjoying everyone else freaking out? I had no idea...

The three hours seemed to fly by, and before I knew it I was driving past the "Welcome to Forks" sign. It felt like just yesterday I was passing by this sign... On foot.

I drove through the town and followed the GPS's directions to Jake's home.

"Destination is ahead, on the right," the GPS said in its robotic voice.

I pulled up to Jake's red house and turned off the car. I figured my purse could stay in its spot, but I slipped my phone in my front pocket and climbed out of the car. When I got up to the house and knocked on the door, it was Billy that answered the door.

"Oh, Alex? Is that you?" he asked. "How are you?"

"Hi Billy, I'm fine," I said. "Would Jake happen to be here?"

"He's actually down at the beach with Seth," he told me. "If you want to meet him down there, you can just keep driving down this road and it will eventually take you there."

I smiled at him. "Thanks, Billy."

"No problem," he replied. "You take care of yourself."

I gave him a nod and headed back to my car. Once I got back in and started it up, I drove down the road until the beach came into view. I pulled over to the side of the road and parked my car so I could walk on the path to the sand. Jacob and Seth were there, just as Billy said they would be.

"Hi Jacob. Hi Seth," I said as I walked towards them. They both turned and looked at me.

"Alex? What are you doing here?" Jake asked me.

"I had to come here to say something," I told him.

"Are you alone?" Seth asked. I nodded in response.

"Wow, that's surprising," Jake said. "I thought they weren't letting you leave the house, to keep you safe and all. Did they actually _let_ you leave?"

"Not exactly," I murmured.

"So you snuck out?" Seth questioned.

"Again, not _exactly_..." I said. "Alice let me leave. She was the only one home."

Jake laughed. "She let you leave, knowing she was going to get an ear full from the rest of the family when they found out you were gone?"

"She said I'd have to deal with everyone when I got back," I told him. "But I still wanted to come here."

"Why did you need to come here?" Jake asked.

"I needed to say thank you," I said.

"For what?" Seth inquired.

"I needed to say thank you to your pack, for everything you've done for my family and I," I told them. "Especially in Australia. You guys teamed up with my family and fought to get me back when you barely even knew me... and there was the times when Nessie stayed with you guys because of something _involved_ with me. I don't think I'll be able to thank you guys enough."

"Honestly, it was nothing," Jake said.

"Besides, fighting all the evil vamps in Australia was a blast!" Seth added.

I laughed. "Thinking of that whole battle still freaks me out from time to time. I mean, you guys kind of slaughtered those vampires... It was freaky."

"Ah, it's what we're made for," Seth said proudly.

I giggled. "Well, I better be getting back before my family members have a brain hemorrhage or something... if that's even possible for a vampire."

Jake and Seth laughed. "I'll see you guys," I said.

"Yeah, I'll probably be seeing you soon, too," Jake told me.

I sighed. "Probably not for a little bit."

As I started to walk back towards the car, the sun came out from behind a cloud, brightening the entire beach. I just stopped and closed my eyes, relishing the feel of the warm sun on my skin. When I looked at my skin, it didn't sparkle. This would probably be the last time it looked like this in the sun.

"I'm think I'm going to miss this," I said to the boys, turning back around.

"The sun?" Jake asked. I nodded.

He laughed. "You know, you would still be able to go out into the sun without disintegrating. You'd just sparkle... God, those bloodsuckers aren't like the ones in the books _at all_. So strange..."

"Hey, don't be hating my bloodsuckers," I said. "Besides, in a few days I'll be one of them, anyway."

There was an awkward silence.

"Anyway, we'll see you soon, Alex," Jake said.

I gave him a smile and headed up to my car. When I started the car, a thought popped into my head. Since I was in Forks... Alice will have my head for this...

I drove out of La Push and back into the main town, just hoping I remembered my way around. I had slipped on my sunglasses so no one would recognize me, but I didn't think I would have a problem with that. I never did go to high school in this town, and it wasn't like I looked like any of my vampire siblings or parents.

I made a turn and followed the road, past all the trees, until I reached...

Our old house.

I pulled the key out of the ignition and made my way towards the front porch. The outside of the house looked exactly the same as it did when we left it almost five years ago. When I got close enough, I could see the few pieces of furniture we left behind covered with the same white cloths. When would we be coming back to this place? Eighty years? Ninety years? Even more? I knew this was one of Esme's favorite places to live, and it would be nice to experience more time here and see how things have changed.

I walked up the stairs to the front porch and just sat down, a wave of nostalgia washing over me. I remember walking up these stairs, weakly knocking on the door, seeing Carlisle's face... then being on their couch in the next second.

While I was here in Washington, there was one more thing I wanted to do, but I doubt Alice would allow it.

My phone chimed in the next second. Speak of the devil... I pulled my phone out of my pocket and read the message.

_**I've already seen what you want to do... and if you're going through with it, you might want to hustle up. Everyone's on edge enough already.**_

I smiled, then typed my reply.

_**Tell everyone that I'm fine, and to calm down. I'll be home ASAP. **_

_** I know you'll be fine, but no one will listen to me anyway :( I'm physic, for god's sake! By the way, even though she is still concerned about your safety, Esme thinks it's sweet that you went back to the house. Hurry back, sis :)**_

__I laughed, then typed again.

_**I will. I made you a promise, didn't I? 3**_

__Alice's response was simple.

_**:)**_

I walked back over to the car briskly, knowing I needed to make this quick. If I drove where I was going, it would take even longer to get home.

It only took me an hour to get to my destination, which was lucky seeing as it was getting close to rush hour. I pulled up to the front of the building and stopped the car.

The Port Townsend Children's Foster Home did not look much different, either. It still seemed depressing and empty. One girl was sitting on the front steps by herself, and that was the one person I came here to see.

Emi.

God, she looked so much older that it _made_ me feel old. Her brown hair seemed darker, almost, and it was pulled into a bun on top of her head. While I was glad that I was able to find her here, it still made me sad because that meant she had still not been adopted.

"Hey there, stranger," I said to her.

She looked at me and it seemed like she was studying me, which didn't surprise me. My hair was longer, and although the pink streak faded over time, my nose piercing was still there. I wore a stud in occasionally, and today just happened to be one of those days.

It would make sense that she didn't recognize me.

"Do I know you?" she asked quietly, starting to stand up.

"Well, Em, I think you do," I said with a smile. "I'm sorry if I look different. I mean, it's been about five years and all."

It was like a light bulb went on in her head.

"Alex?" she asked.

"In the flesh," I murmured.

She smiled and ran to give me a hug. "Oh my god, look at you! You've gotten taller! Your hair is longer, and oh, your nose is pierced!"

"You bet," I said. "You look older, too!"

"Yeah, I guess," she said. "I don't feel any different, though."

"Oh, I do," I mumbled. I don't think she could even _imagine_ how different I am, and how so much has changed me.

She giggled. "Are you still with your parents? The Carlisle guy?"

I smiled. "Yep, I'm still with them."

"Gosh, you all have been together since he adopted you, huh?" she inquired.

"For the most part..." I murmured.

"Oh, I think I get your drift," she said. "Were there some family fights and stuff?"

"I guess you could say that," I said. Not a lie. There have definately been some battles... where my family was fighting others.

She giggled again. "Is Carlisle still really hot?"

I barked out a laugh. "Umm... yeah," I said. Seeing as Carlisle has not aged since she has last seen him, I guess you could say he is just as "hot".

"So, what are you doing around this area?" she asked me.

"Just taking care of some unfinished business, is all," I told her.

She stared at me for a second. "You've become pretty mysterious over the years."

"I guess that's a result of being part of my family," I said with a smile.

We were silent for a moment, until Emi spoke up again.

"So, what is this 'unfinished business' you're talking about?" she questioned.

I sighed. I needed to come up with _something_ to tell her...

Suddenly, my phone chimed.

"Sorry," I said to Emi, pulling my phone out of my pocket. It was another message from Alice.

_**We're moving out of the country, and you wanted 2 try and say a last goodbye and check on her. She'll want 2 know where we are moving... IRELAND. **_

__Thank god for Alice's physic abilities.

"Sorry, that was just my sister," I told Emi. "Anyway, my family and I are moving out of the country and I just wanted to see if I could say a final goodbye."

"Ooh, where are you moving to?" she inquired.

"Ireland," I said simply.

She nodded.

"Emi, what happened to Kari?" I asked.

Emi's face lit up. "Oh, Alex, it was great! Kari got a scholarship to Seattle University and is studying to be a lawyer! Oh, god, she busted her but junior and senior year, barely got _any_ sleep, but she did so many things in school and made it into her first college of choice."

I smiled. "That's awesome. You have to tell her I say hi, if you still keep in touch with her, that is."

"Oh, we do!" she said excitedly. "We write letters, since I don't have a cell phone and all. Kari shares an apartment with a friend from the high school that also goes there, and Kari's roommate is visiting family next weekend so I get to stay in the apartment. Kari's driving down to get me and everything!"

I laughed. "Well, I'm so glad. Kari deserves to be happy and go to the best school she can."

Her smiled faltered a little. "Yeah... I'm probably just going to end up at Peninsula College, anyway, since it's in town and everything."

"You never know. You might ending up leaving this town, too." I said. I made a mental note to ask Carlisle and Esme if there was anything we could do to help Emi out with college...

She gave me a small smile. "I really want to be a teacher. An English teacher... but I guess Social Studies would be my back-up. I like history, too."

I gave her a hug. "I know you'll be great at whatever you do."

She left my arms. "Kari's gonna be really upset that she missed you, _and_ that you're moving out of the country."

"Tell her I say hi, okay?" I asked.

"I will. Definately," she replied.

"Well, I have to head home before my parents kill me," I said with a chuckle. "I have an extremely long drive ahead of me."

I gave her one more hug, then headed back towards my car.

"Alex, will you promise me something?" she asked, sounding like Alice did earlier today.

"What is it, Em?"

"Promise you won't forget me?" she asked. "And Kari?"

I gave her a small smile. "I'll won't forget you for as long as I live."

I'm sure she had no idea how long that would actually be.

**-oOo-**

**Hope you liked this chapter, and in the next one... IT WILL BE TRANSFORMATION TIME! **


	7. Transformation

**Author's Note: I do not own Twilight. Twilight and all of the characters are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Thanks to the lovely people who reviewed the last chapter: MusicIsAlwaysThere, IWonderWhatIShouldBeCalled, CloudyNight, caseyrn12, and emmettlover4everandalways! **

**chapter 7**

**august 7th, 2013**

It was about ten o' clock when I opened the garage door and drove back inside. Nobody was there to greet me, which surprised me, seeing as they could definitely hear the door open.

I walked out of the garage and towards the front porch, when Parker came bolting out the door, followed by Esme and Rosalie. This was more of what I was expecting...

"Alex!" Parker yelled. "What were you thinking? You had me so worried! I get back with everyone after hunting and only Alice is home, and she says you went off to Washington! You could have gotten hurt-"

"But I didn't," I said, interrupting him.

"But you _could_ have," he said.

"Calm down," I said, grabbing his arms. "Alice told you she had a vision of me getting home safely, right?"

He did not answer me.

"Right?" I asked again, raising my eyebrow.

He gave me a small nod.

"See? There was nothing to worry about, then. Alice is smart. She wouldn't have let me go if she knew something was going to happen to me," I told him.

He sighed, then gave me a quick kiss on the lips. "I'm sorry I overreacted. I just got nervous, that's all."

I gave him a smile, then looked over at Rosalie and Esme, who were still standing there. Esme smiled at me when I walked over and gave her a hug.

"How did the house look?" she asked me when I left her embrace.

"Just as beautiful as ever," I said with a laugh.

I gave Rosalie a hug, and she kissed me on the forehead.

"Give us a little warning next time you decided to run off, okay?"

"I think if I run off after this, it won't be as much of a problem," I told her.

She gave me a smile, but it didn't reach her eyes.

We all walked back into the house together, where we were met by everyone else in the living room.

"See? What did I tell you all?" Alice said. "She's back home. Safe. In one piece."

"All right, Alice, you've already mentioned this. No need to rub it in," Parker said, rolling his eyes.

I walked over to Alice and gave her a hug. "Thanks," I whispered, knowing full well that she could hear me.

She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and I moved from her arms.

"Gosh, Alex. You really set everyone off," Emmet said with a booming laugh. "Almost as much as I do on a daily basis."

I laughed at him.

"Well, it's getting late. Alex should be getting to bed," Carlisle said, coming over and wrapping his arm around my shoulder.

I nodded, said goodnight to everyone, and walked towards the stairs with him.

When we were upstairs, he whispered, "You know, I had faith in you getting home. I was not as nervous as everyone, but I must admit I was a bit nervous. Like any other father."

I smiled at him. "Thanks. I'm sorry I upset everyone... but I just felt like I needed to do this."

"And I completely understand," he said. "Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Goodnight, dad," I said. His smile brightened, and he gave me a kiss on the cheek before heading back downstairs.

I walked into my closet and changed into my most comfortable pajamas, then laid down in my bed. I had trouble dozing off because I knew this would be the last time I actually slept. It felt funny, thinking I would never sleep again. So much time in the day I took for sleeping would be free... It was almost hard to process.

I laid there for what seemed like hours, but was probably only minutes. I had too many thoughts running through my head- Not ever sleeping again, the transformation tomorrow, the burning pain from Nathaniel's bite that I could _still_ remember. The transformation would be just like that, but longer... and probably worse.

I tossed and turned, not able to find a comfortable position to sleep in, when someone knocked on my bedroom door.

"Come in," I said quietly, sitting up in my bed.

The door opened, letting light in from the hallway, and Parker stepped inside.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you," he said.

"Well, seeing as I'm _not_ asleep, I don't think you're really disturbing me," I replied.

He walked over to my bed and sat next to me.

"I just wanted to apologize again for overreacting earlier. I'm sorry if it made it seem like I thought you weren't capable of keeping yourself safe," he sighed. "I was just so worried... I was acting like, well, as Emmett said, a pansy."

I covered my mouth with my hand to try to hold back my giggled. "He called you a pansy?"

"Yeah..." he sighed again. "He said I needed to calm down and stop acting like such a pansy."

I couldn't help but giggle now. "That sounds like something he would say."

Parker chuckled and wrapped his arms around me.

"And I'm sorry that I ran off earlier without telling you. I figured you guys would not let me go, and I felt like I had to do what I did..." I mumbled.

"I know. Carlisle told me," he said.

We sat there in silence for a bit, Parker running his fingers through my hair.

"Are you having trouble falling asleep?" he asked me.

I just nodded.

"Edward had told me that your thoughts were a whirlwind," Parker said.

"Yeah," I whispered.

He kissed me on the forehead. "Do you want me to stay with you for the night?"

"I would like that," I said with a smile.

We just sat on my bed like this, with myself laying in his arms. He kept playing with my hair, and I eventually drifted off into a peaceful, dreamless sleep. When I woke up, I was still in Parker's arms.

"Esme made some breakfast for you," he told me. "It's ready if you would like some."

I nodded and slowly sat up, rubbing my eyes.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"Yes, thanks to you," I said with a smile, swinging my legs over the side of the bed and standing up. Parker was at my side in an instant, and he gave me a kiss on the cheek. I gave him another smile and walked downstairs.

"Good morning, Alex," Esme said sweetly as I walked into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Esme," I replied.

"I made some cinnamon rolls for you," she told me, setting the dish full of rolls on the kitchen island. This made me smile. If this was the last breakfast I had as a human, or even the last _meal_, I would be happy.

I grabbed a glass of milk and Esme grabbed a plate for me, kissing my forehead as she walked by.

I just sat down at the island and took several bites of the cinnamon roll that was placed down in front of me. Esme went over to the sink when Emmett walked in.

"Alex!" he shouted.

I gave him a little wave and started to drink the glass of milk.

"I just can't believe you!" he said. "I thought you were an innocent little girl. I can't believe you _slept_ with Parker!"

I inhaled in surprise, choking on the milk I was drinking. Figures _he_ would take something innocent and make it sound dirty!

"Emmett!" Esme shouted, running over and patting my back as I coughed up a lung. When I finally could breathe again, I got up from my chair and glared at Emmett.

"I am going to _kill_ you," I said, running towards him. Alas, using his vampire speed as an advantage, he ran to the other side of the room. I kept chasing after him, and he started to run closer to a human pace, but he was still too quick. We ran into the living room and stood at opposite ends of the coffee table.

"Get back here!" I yelled.

"Like you can catch me!" he shouted back.

As he ran away, I jumped onto the couch and off the armrest, flying onto his back.

"I have to admit, I'm impressed," he said, flinging me to the floor. "That was a good move!"

I continued to chase him around the living room, and yelled, "Just you wait until I'm a vampire! I'll catch you then!"

As I kept chasing Emmett basically around in circles, Carlisle came into the room.

Emmett and I froze.

"Why on Earth are you chasing each other around?" he asked.

"Daddy, Emmett was being mean to me," I said, walking over to him and trying to give my best puppy dog face. Hopefully it would still work as an eighteen-year-old.

Carlisle looked at Emmett. "Emmett, what did you do?"

"Oh, c'mon!" Emmett said. "You're not really going to be sucked into her trap, are you?"

"Emmett made fun of me and said something that wasn't even true!" I said, crossing my arms.

"What _really_ happened does not even matter," Esme said, walking into the room. "Emmett just needs to learn to keep his mouth shut sometimes."

Emmett threw his hands up in the air and sighed, flopping down onto the couch.

"Why didn't you stop them from running before?" Carlisle asked Esme.

She giggled. "It was fun to watch."

Carlisle laughed and gave her a kiss on the cheek, then headed back upstairs. Esme followed behind him.

I walked over to Emmett and gave him a smile. He rolled his eyes at me, so I gave him a quick hug and sat down next to him.

"Wanna play some video games?" I asked him.

He smiled at that. Video games would always entertain him.

We ended up playing one of those combat games that he _insisted_ I learned how to play, and I was pretty bad at it. It was hard to move then aim and shoot at someone. By the time I got someone in range they had already shot me or some player I couldn't even _see_ got me.

I think it was around noon when we finished one of our many rounds, and I was still in my pajamas.

"Uh, Emmett, do you mind if I go change my clothes?" I asked with a laugh. "We've been playing longer than I thought."

He chuckled. "Sure, but don't ditch me. I'm expecting you to come back."

"I won't ditch you," I said, shoving his shoulder a bit.

I ran up the stairs and into my room, throwing open the closet door. I felt like putting something fashionable today, so I put on a black-ish skirt with peach and red-colored roses on it and the brown belt that went with it, along with a pair of brown tights, cute brown flats, and a peach-colored tank top. It was girly and not super casual, so I had a feeling that Alice would approve. I went into the bathroom, brushed my teeth, washed my face, combed my hair, and slipped in a light brown headband. I swiped on some lip gloss and basic make-up, then walked back out into my bedroom.

When I got there, Rosalie was holding one of the picture frames that was on my desk. It was the one of her, Alice, and I all dressed up, and it was the picture I gave her a couple Christmases ago. I could see that her shoulders were shaking slightly, and I think she did not know I was in the room. Was she crying?

"Rose?" I asked quietly.

She froze. After a few seconds, she put the frame down and turned to look at me. Of course she had no tears in her eyes or on her face, but that was because she could no longer shed them.

I slowly walked towards her, but she rushed up to me and engulfed me in her arms.

"You grew up too fast," she whispered, clinging on to me.

It was strange seeing Rosalie like this. She usually wasn't the one to wear her heart on her sleeve. She was always so level headed, but in this one instance she seemed so... vulnerable.

I pulled back from her arms and just looked at her. She gave me a small smile.

"God, I remember the first time I saw you," she said. "You were so small, so young then."

"I was thirteen," I said quietly.

She sighed. "That was young to me."

I put my hand on her arm.

"God, this isn't fair!" she said. "You should be able to go to college and live your life, but you can't!"

I started tearing up. "It's for the best."

"But is it what you want?" she questioned.

"Yes!" I said. "What kind of a life would it be without you guys? I can't... no, I _won't_ get old and die! I don't ever want to leave you and the family!"

The tears were freely flowing down my face now, and she hugged me again.

"I'm sorry!" she cried. "I'm so, so sorry."

"For what?" I asked.

"For constantly doing this to you!" she said. "We fight every time. I keep bringing this up, but I... I just..."

I shushed her. "It's okay. Let's just stop all this, alright? Let's just... just enjoy today. Spend some time together. We barely get to do that."

Her shoulders stopped shaking, and she backed up from me. She placed her hand on my face and smiled.

"You're such a beautiful girl," she whispered.

I choked up again. "I love you, Rose."

She kissed me on the cheek. "I love you, too."

Emmett walked into the room, probably hearing some sort of commotion.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, looking concerned.

"Yes, everything is fine," Rosalie said, turning around to look at him.

"I'm sorry, Emmett," I said to him. "But I can't play video games with you anymore. I'm going to spend some time with Rosalie. I hope you don't mind."

He gave Rose a kiss on the cheek. "I don't mind at all."

He walked out into the hallway and yelled, "Jasper! Are you here? Wanna play some video games?"

Rosalie and I both laughed as we sat down on my bed.

"Would you like me to braid your hair?" she asked. "I think it would look so nice in a braid."

I nodded and turned my back to her so she could reach my hair. We just sat and enjoyed each other's company. We reminisced, talking about all the good memories we've had in the past. I told her about the video game Emmett and I played and how bad I was, laughing at my stories of our many rounds.

When she was done, we headed downstairs to see Emmett and Jasper playing the same game from earlier. How long could Emmett play this for?

"Your hair looks nice," Esme said, walking into the living room.

"You can give credit to Rosalie," I said with a smile.

Rosalie wrapped her arm around my shoulder.

"I made you a cold cut sub for lunch, if you're hungry," Esme told me.

"You spoil me," I said.

She smiled. "I'm your mother, it's my job."

I laughed. "Thank you, mom," I said, giving her a kiss on the cheek as I walked into the kitchen. A sub was sitting on a plate, and a glass filled with Pepsi was next to it. I smiled and ate my lunch.

When I was done, I walked back into the living room. Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie were sitting on the couch, and Esme was sitting in one of the armchairs. She and Rose were watching were watching Jasper and Emmett play.

"I want to join in next!" I said, sitting in front of the coffee table.

"Oh god," Emmett groaned.

I stuck my tongue out at him. "I will not get any better if you don't let me play."

"Fine. You can play with Jasper," he said.

Jasper and I played a round, and in the middle of it Alice came into the room and took a seat in the other armchair.

"Are we all enjoying ourselves?" she asked.

We nodded. Jasper and I ended up playing several rounds, and I lost track of time.

"Esme, what time is it?" I asked her, placing the controller on the floor next to me.

She glanced at her watch. "It's about two."

I bit my lip. So much of the day had already gone by.

"It doesn't have to be done right now," Esme told me, knowing exactly what I was thinking about.

"It can be done at eleven fifty-nine tonight, if you wish," Jasper said.

I shook my head. "I don't think it's wise to put it off that long... This evening, after dinner?"

Esme nodded, glancing down at her hands folded in her lap.

"Hi guys!" Nessie said as she walked into the room, breaking the awkward silence that had spread.

"Hello, sweetheart," Esme said, getting up and giving her granddaughter a hug.

Bella came into the room moments later.

"Alex, can my mom and I talk to you?" Nessie asked. "Privately?"

"Uh, sure?" I said, getting up and following the two of them out of the living room.

"Let's go for a walk," Bella suggested. "That way our conversation will _actually_ be in private."

Nobody in the other room said anything, but I had a feeling they were listening.

We walked out the backdoor and made our way to the trees.

"We hope this won't upset you, Alex," Nessie said to me once we stopped.

"Wait... What are you talking about?" I questioned.

Bella sighed. "Nessie, Edward, and I are going to be gone for a few days. We're going to La Push-"

"To get Nessie away from me?" I asked.

They were silent.

"You guys think I would get mad over that?" I asked. "No, I completely understand! You're just thinking of what's best for Nessie, and keeping her away from me for a while is probably a good idea. I'm just sorry I'm the reason you guys have to spend time away from the family. But wait... the wolves are letting you and Edward staying there, Bella?"

Her face relaxed a bit. "Yes, they're allowing us to stay there due to the... given circumstances. However, Edward will be coming back to check on you when you wake up, in case he needs to read your mind or anything like that?"

I nodded.

"Can I hang out with you for the rest of the evening before we have to leave, Alex?" Nessie asked.

"Of course!" I told her. "You don't even need to ask!"

She smiled at me.

"Race you back to the house!" she said, and in a flash she was gone.

"Oh yes, because that's fair," I said with a sigh.

Bella laughed and pulled me onto her back, running back to the house.

"Thank you," I said when we got back. I went to meet Nessie who was waiting in the doorway.

The rest of the day went by rather quickly. Everyone was at the house, and we all spent the time together. When it was dinner time for me, Esme went all out and made spaghetti, Caesar salad, and had bread with olive oil to dip it in. I thought I would not have much of an appetite for my last meal, but when I saw the food Esme made I gobbled it all down.

It was seven o' clock when I finished dinner, and I knew I could not avoid things any longer.

I gave everyone a hug before I went up to Carlisle's study with him, Esme, and Parker. There was a metal table sitting in the middle of the room. I sat on top of it, Carlisle standing to the side.

"First, I am going to inject you with some morphine so the pain is less... severe. I wish I could tell you that this will not hurt, but I would be lying if I did."

I nodded.

"It is going to burn badly, but just try to remember that it will be over. It will not last forever."

I closed my eyes and nodded again as Carlisle began to set up the IV for the morphine.

Parker kissed me on the forehead.

"I'll be by your side the entire time," he said to me.

I laid down on the table as Carlisle injected the morphine.

Esme put her hand on my cheek. She didn't say anything to me, but she didn't need to.

"The bite will be in your left wrist," Carlisle said to me.

Esme promptly grabbed my left hand. Parker grabbed the other.

"Are you ready?" Carlisle asked quietly.

I closed my eyes again and whispered, "As ready as I'll ever be."

He kissed my cheek before slowly lowering his mouth onto my wrist. I felt his razor sharp teeth slice my skin, and there was two second before it all started.

It felt like my fingertips and toes suddenly ignited. I gasped in pain at the sudden sensation as the burning slowly started to spread up my arms and legs. The fire continued to move upwards, and it felt like I was being dipped into an active volcano. I gritted my teeth, and I was afraid that I would crush them.

I tried not to scream. I tried to hold it all in. My vision slowly started to vanish, and I was scared when I could no longer see the faces of my family members. Everything was black. My mind became foggy, and I started to forget who was with me in the room. As my senses left, the pain grew stronger. It was taking over my entire body, except for my heart.

The burning grew even stronger, and I still tried to hold back the screams that were threatening to escape.

I bet this is what hell feels like.

I was having regrets. I didn't want this anymore. Was this even worth all the burning?

The pain was growing stronger, and I couldn't hold back anymore. A loud, ear-piercing scream rang from my mouth. Funny. I couldn't see, yet I could hear. I don't even know how long I went without screaming. Seconds? Minutes? Hours? A day? I had lost all track of time.

The burning continued, and I had a feeling I had screamed more than once. Everything was still black. Pitch black. It was like a never-ending night.

I don't know how much time had passed when the burning disappeared from my toes. Next was my fingertips, and I was surprised that I could feel that someone was holding my hand. The skin was smooth.

The fire slowly started to leave my legs until they were no longer burning. The pain left my arms just as slowly, but it was a relief none the less.

It wasn't a relief for long, though, when all the burning shot to my heart. It was attacking all at once, and my heartbeats became more frantic. It was like a drum, beating faster and faster and faster until...

It stopped.

The burning had stopped, which must mean that a few days had passed. I was so scared to move, afraid that the slightest twitch of a leg or arm would flare up the burning.

"...waking up..." a voice rang out clearly, sounding like tinkling bells. But who did the voice belong to?

"...can hear us..." a male voice added.

I tried to smile. There were others here... but who? Everything was still a little fuzzy.

"Open your eyes, sweetheart," a beautiful voice rang out. This voice belonged to a female, and it sounded loving and sweet.

So, I did as the voice said and opened my eyes.

When I did, I was in awe of what I saw.

**-oOo-**

**I hope I gave enough details for the transformation... I'm sick now, so reviews would make me feel better :) **

**I have extreme rehearsals starting for my show FRIDAY, so it may take a little longer for the next update. Sorry to leave it at a cliffhanger :(**


	8. Strength

**Author's Note: I do not own Twilight. Twilight and all of the characters are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Guess who has two thumbs and just managed to find Microsoft Word on their computer? THIS PERSON! (points to myself) Thank you to the wonderful reviewers of the last chapter: IWonderWhatIShouldBeCalled, Victoria cellun29, and Cloudy Night! I only got three reviews for the last chapter, and while I'm very grateful for the ones I did get, if you guys are out there, could you review? I would like to hear what you have to say, and if you have any comments or things of that nature THANK YOU! I'm just hoping to have at least 50 reviews by chapter 10, but at this rate I don't know…**

**ANYWAY, sorry for the long Author's Note. Here's what you came here for! :D **

**Chapter 8**

**august 11, 2013**

**-oOo-**

_previously:_

_ "Open your eyes, sweetheart," a beautiful voice rang out. This voice belonged to a female, and it was loving and sweet._

_ So, I did as the voice said and opened my eyes. When I did, I was in awe of what I saw._

The clarity of my vision was almost disorienting. It took me by surprise, really. Had I really been using my eyes before this? I was looking at the ceiling, and I could see the ripples in the cream-colored paint. Everything was so bright, so vibrant…

"Alex?" the bell-like voice asked, interrupting my thoughts.

I sat up in one very fluid motion, throwing me off for a second. My crystal-clear vision never blurred. Everything stayed the same.

When I sat up, there were eight other vampires in the room. My instinct was to defend myself, but then I studied them. None of them looked like they were ready to spring at me. The first vampire I saw, the closest one to me, was a short, pixie-like female with jet-black hair. When I looked at her, she smiled at me.

The vampire with his arm around her waist was a male, pretty well built, with shaggy-blonde hair. His pale skin was covered with translucent scars. I glanced down at my wrist, and my scar looked the same as his. Had he been bitten numerous times? When I glanced at him, he was watching me intently, which made me nervous.

To his right was a beautiful female with long, wavy blonde hair. I couldn't help stare at her for a few seconds, and she smiled at me like the short girl did. The male next to her was dark haired and had _huge_ muscles. The grin on his face was equally large, and showed off his dimples. There was another male next to him with messy hair who looked like he was studying me. Something about him and the blonde male made me uneasy.

To the left of the short female, there was a pretty female with caramel-colored hair. She gave me a small smile when I glanced at her. I had a strange feeling when I looked at her, a sense of familiarity almost. A blonde, powerful-looking male stood directly next to her, and next to him was an absolutely _gorgeous_ male vampire with shaggy brown hair. I think I stared at him a little _too_ long, and I think he knew that as he gave me a knowing smile.

Suddenly, as quickly as I studied these vampires, names rushed into my head and the faces in front of me were no longer strangers. They were Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, Edward, Esme, Carlisle, and Parker.

My family.

I smiled back at them.

"Hi guys," I said, but grabbed my throat. My voice didn't sound as I remembered. It was clear, almost like a chime.

"Thirsty?" Carlisle asked.

"No. My voice just sounds different, that's all," I told him.

A Carlisle mentioned something about thirst, my throat became dry and burned slightly.

"Well, that's not the only thing that is different about you," Carlisle said. "Emmett, go grab the mirror."

I jumped off the table and landed perfectly on my feet, which made me smile. I was so graceful now because of the change.

Emmett came back into the room carrying a full length mirror and set it on the floor.

Alice looked confused as I glanced in the mirror and gasped. I did not recognize the person looking back at me. My skin was extremely pale and missing those little imperfections. My previously dirty-blonde hair was now a shiny golden-blonde, similar to Jasper's. I could not help but stare at the new me… but then I saw my eyes.

They were piercing red orbs that seemed to make my already pale skin look even paler. In the back of my mind I knew they were going to be red when I woke up, but I did not know how much my eyes would upset me.

I sunk into a crouch and growled at the reflection in the mirror, surprising myself with the noise I made. I whipped my head to the side and glared at Emmett, who was still holding the mirror. He looked shocked at my reaction.

"Take the mirror away. _NOW_," I snarled.

His eyes became unfocused, and he slowly turned away and began to leave the room with the mirror.

"Emmett? Where are you going?" Rosalie asked.

Emmett didn't answer as he left the room. I just wanted him to take the mirror away. Why did he have to act so strange when he did so?

Edward looked at me. "Did you do that?"

"Do what?" I questioned.

"_Make_ him take the mirror out of the room," Edward said.

"Well, I asked him, didn't I?" I muttered.

"More like commanded him to take it away," he told me.

I frowned. "I'm sorry. I was just upset, that's all."

Emmett came back into the room and shook his head. He seemed confused as he looked down at his hands.

"Wait… where did the mirror go?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes and snorted. "Good one, Emmett. C'mon, why are you acting so strange?"

"But… I'm serious," he said. "Where is it?"

"You just took it away," I muttered.

Emmett's forehead scrunched together. "I did?"

"Okay, Alex, you must have done _something_," Edward said. "You've got to have a power of some sort."

"But I didn't do _anything_!" I cried. "I got upset and I just wanted him to take the mirror away. I'm sorry if I sounded all demanding, but all I did was say something-"

"Are you sure?" Carlisle asked me.

"Huh?" I asked, looking at him.

"That's a good theory, Carlisle," Edward said, obviously reading Carlisle's thoughts. "It would make sense."

"Clue us non mind-readers in, please," Rosalie muttered, crossing her arms.

"I… I saw all this happen, but I didn't understand…" Alice murmured.

"What is going on?" Parker asked.

"Alex, are you familiar with our friends from Ireland? The Irish Coven?" Carlisle questioned.

I shook my head.

"Well, there are three members of their coven. One of their members, Siobhan, has a very unique gift. She has the ability of outcome manipulation," he told me.

"What's outcome manipulation?" I inquired.

"It basically means that she can influence events or situations by willing her desired outcome to play out in reality," he said.

"And you think that's my power?" I asked.

"Yes, or something along those lines," Carlisle said. "So, your desired outcome was for Emmett to take away the mirror. Maybe you pictured that actually happening, and when you told him to take it away, it happened."

I frowned. "I felt like I did a lot less than that. I didn't imagine any situations. All I know is that I really wanted him to take it away, said something, and he did it."

I thought back to just moments ago. _Were_ there any thoughts or pictures in mind that affected what happened?

Edward grabbed his chin with his hand. "How about we test this? I'll read your mind to see what's going on in your head. Why don't you look at someone and try to get them to do something? Think of an action for them to perform, but don't say what you're planning out loud. Say it only in your head so I can hear it, and then try to get them to do it."

I looked at my family. "Does anybody… well, is anybody willing to-"

"I'll do it," Rosalie said confidently.

"I won't try to hurt you, I promise," I said to her.

She nodded and stepped forward. "I trust you."

I thought of a simple activity that I could make her do. After a few seconds of pondering, I decided that I would make her turn in a circle.

"Ready?" I asked Edward.

He nodded.

"Ready?" I asked Rosalie.

She nodded.

So, I looked at her and literally just _wanted_ her to spin in a circle. I focused on her, and her eyes seemed to glaze over just like Emmett's did. It wasn't as noticeable, but they glazed over none the less. To my surprise, she spun in a circle. I gasped, and when she was facing me again she blinked a few times and looked at everyone.

"That felt strange," she said. "It was like I had the sudden urge to spin that I couldn't control. I assume that's what you made me do?"

I nodded, still dumbfounded with what I did.

"It seemed like the effects of Alex's power weren't as disorienting to the victim when she didn't vocalize her command," Carlisle murmured. "Rosalie could vaguely remember what she did. However, when Alex _spoke_ to Emmett, he didn't remember taking away the mirror."

"Maybe you should try the same thing on me, but say it this time," Rosalie suggested.

I nodded and looked in her eyes.

I focused, and then said, "Spin in a circle."

She did as I told her, then when she was facing me again, she blinked rapidly as she did before.

"Did you do it yet?" she asked me.

"Y-yeah," I stammered.

"Rosalie's not joking around with any of this," Edward said. "She does not remember spinning the second time. It is almost like the senses and the thoughts pause when she's under the influence of Alex's power."

"It's odd. I couldn't pick up any emotions or feelings from Rosalie the second time. The first time, though, everything was almost normal," Jasper told us.

"What was going on in Alex's head?" Parker asked.

"I didn't sense anything out of the ordinary in Alex's mind," Edward said. "She just had the thoughts of what she wanted to happen."

"This is truly fascinating," Carlisle breathed. "We'll have to keep a close eye on your powers to see how they develop."

I nodded.

Esme smiled at me, then walked over and gave me a hug. I hugged her back, but then I heard her gasp in pain.

I quickly moved away from her.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"No, no, don't be," she said. "You just underestimated your strength, that's all."

I sighed. "This is going to take some getting used to."

"Don' worry, you'll adapt," she said, moving a strand of my hair behind my ear. "You look so different… so beautiful."

"Except for my eyes," I growled.

"They'll be gold soon, don't worry," she assured me. "You'll hunt animals and it won't be long before they start to turn gold."

"Speaking of hunting," Carlisle said. "Parker, why don't you take Alex out for a hunt?"

Parker walked over to me and grabbed my hand. It was no longer the cold touch I remembered.

He led me out of Carlisle's study, down the stairs, and out the back door. The sun was setting and the sky had a beautiful pink shade to it.

"I have an idea," he said as we walked out onto the deck.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" I inquired.

Instead of answering me, he ran off at vampire speed into the trees. I was upset for only a moment though, when I realized that I was now able to keep up with him.

Just for fun, I leapt over the railing of the deck and landed on my feet. Smiling, I took off after Parker. The feeling was exhilarating, with my hair flowing behind me and the sound of my feet pounding on the forest floor. Suddenly, a memory popped into my head. It was a little fuzzy, since it was from when I was a human after all, and I was on Carlisle's back. We were running around in what looked to be a clearing, laughing and chasing after each other. I high-fived a younger-looking girl who I remembered was Nessie, and then the memory faded out. I wasn't sure what triggered this memory. Was it the feeling of wind in my hair?

"Alex? Is something wrong?" Parker asked. Hearing his voice brought me out of my thoughts, and I realized that I had stopped running.

"Sorry," I said. "A human memory just popped into my head."

"What about?" he asked, grabbing my hand again.

"I'm not really sure what was going on," I told him as we walked along at a human pace. "I was on Carlisle's back, and we were all running around, then I high-fived a younger looking Nessie and the memory faded out."

Parker smiled. "Is that the time we played baseball together?"

More memories came rushing back into my head. Carlisle was showing me how to properly hold the baseball bat. I remembered the feeling of tricking my siblings into thinking I couldn't play baseball, but then I hit the ball into the outfield. Edward and Alice knew I was good, though, but they were on my team. Then I remembered Emmett scooping me up into his arms and us laughing, basically forgetting all the rules of the game.

I smiled back at Parker. "Yeah, that was it."

"Now, let's get you fed," he said to me. "You must be thirsty."

My throat flared up again at the mention of the word "thirst", and I nodded.

"How _do_ I hunt, exactly?" I asked him.

"I don't really know how to explain it," he murmured. "Just… follow your instincts."

We ran off a little farther into the trees, until Parker stopped.

"Now, listen closely," he said. "What do you hear?"

I closed my eyes and listened as closely as I could to everything around me. Suddenly, I could hear a faint beating that didn't seem too far away.

"I hear… a heartbeat?" I said, but it sounded more like a question.

"Good, good," Parker said. "Now, don't think, just feel. Do what you think you should do now."

I closed my eyes again and focused, zoning in on the heartbeat. I could pick up the smell of the foliage and fresh-fallen rain, but there was another scent… and it smelled pretty darn good. Without thinking, I ran to where I felt the scent was drifting from and came across a buck. It didn't have time to get away from me before I pounced on it and snapped its neck from the impact. I sunk my teeth into its throat and drank the sweet blood that came from it. All too quickly, though, the deer ran dry, but my thirst was not quenched. I strained my hearing again, and seemed to hear another heartbeat off to my left.

I ran in that direction and found a second buck. I attacked that one in the same manner that I did the first. After this one was drained completely, I stood up and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. There was a tear in my tights and my skirt, and my shirt had a few spots of dirt on it.

I heard something approach me from behind, and I spun around quickly to find that it was only Parker.

"Maybe I should have changed my clothes before I went hunting," I sighed, walking over to him.

He just looked at me.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked him.

Suddenly, he crashed his lips to mine. Excited by his sudden burst of passion, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back.

When he broke the kiss, he rested his forehead against mine.

"Watching you hunt was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen," he whispered.

I gave him a quick peck on the lips then began to run back to the house, leaving him behind to catch up.

**-oOo-**

**Yay, Alex is a vampire now! How will things go after the change? You'll have to wait and find out….**


	9. Fish

**Author's Note: Sadly, I do not own Twilight. Twilight and all of the characters are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. Besides, if I **_**did**_** own Twilight, this saga would have already been its own series ;)**

**YAY, there were FIVE reviews for the last chapter! It made me soooo happy! Thanks to IWonderWhatIShouldBeCalled, Victoria cellun29, immortalroxtar, emmettlover4everandalways, and CloudyNight. You guys rock! Oh, and I'm going to start putting song lyrics with each chapter because, well, c'mon. It's fun! :D**

**chapter nine**

**august 11****th****, 2013**

**-oOo-**

_Small pleasures, small pleasures_

_Who would deny us these?_

-_It's A Fine Life_ (from the musical "Oliver!")

Parker and I were close to the house when we came across the river. I leapt over it with ease, but something in it caught my eye when I traveled over. When I landed on my feet, I walked back to the river to see what had gained my attention.

"What are you doing, Alex?" Parker asked.

I did not answer him as I got to the edge of the river and crouched down, gazing into the rushing water. Something shiny darted past, and I quickly glanced to see what it was. It was a fish, a gold-ish green color with shimmering scales.

Something about this fish had me mesmerized.

"What are you looking at?" Parker inquired.

"That fish," I said, following it with my eyes as it swam down the river. "It's just… so beautiful."

Parker chuckled. "The enhanced vision works wonders on just about everything."

"The fish seems so care-free, just able to swim along the cool waters of the river," I mused, watching it swim farther away until it was out of view.

"It's just a fish," Parker said with a laugh.

I gave him a mischievous smile. "It's not _just_ a fish, Parker."

"Oh, really?" he said.

"Yes, really. There's something… _fishy_ about that fish," I told him with a giggle.

"Ah, I see what you did there," he laughed.

I stood up and looked at him. "Let's go back. I want to draw the fish."

Parker smiled, and we ran back to the house in a matter of seconds. Esme greeted us when we walked back through the doors.

"Did you enjoy your hunt?" she asked me.

I kissed her cheek as I waltzed past her. "Yep, but I'm off to do something else now…"

As I went up the stairs, I could hear Esme ask Parker, "What is she doing?"

"Drawing something she saw after we hunted," Parker replied.

I giggled to myself, excited that I could hear everyone now when they spoke in hushed tones.

I walked down the hallway, looking into the open doors until I saw the room I remembered as mine. I walked into my room, but I realized that I had nothing to draw the fish on. Scanning the room, I saw a black easel next to the wall. I walked over to it, but froze when a human memory came into my head.

"An easel! It's in your room!" said the bronze-haired girl. I realized it was Nessie, and she was smiling at me.

"You can go look at it after you finish opening the rest of your presents," Bella said.

Time seemed to move forward and I was handed a small box. I undid the white bow and inside was a beautiful charm bracelet. There were charms in the shape of letters- an A and P, E and C, R and E, A and J, B and E, and an N. It took me a second to realize that they were the initials of everyone in the family.

The memory ended, and I smiled as I walked over to the easel and picked up one of the sketchbooks sitting there. I flipped it open, and the first page had a sketched version of the easel in front of me. The second page had a drawing of the bracelet I saw from the memory.

The third page had a sketched pair of car keys with a Kia logo on it.

Another human memory darted through my mind. It seemed to be in the same location as the previous memory. Esme was sitting next to me on a couch, and she placed something in my hand. It was a pair of car keys, the same as the picture depicted.

Other memories flashed by. I saw a steering wheel of a car, and I realized I was driving. Then it all happened quickly. The deer in the road. The car, swerving to the left and slamming into the trees. Inflated air bags. Looking at my arms, and seeing the gashes there.

I gripped the easel for support, overwhelmed by the speed the memories came at. It seemed like I had been in a car accident as a human… but when exactly?

I heard light footsteps in the hallway, and I spun around to see Rosalie standing in the doorway.

"Hey, you're back," she said, but then I think she took in my startled expression. "What's wrong?"

"Was I in a car accident?" I asked her bluntly.

She nodded and walked over to me. "Yeah, you were. Actually, it was a month ago today. How did you know about it?"

I showed her the sketchbook I was still holding. The picture of the car keys was displayed.

"This picture just triggered a memory of a deer and hitting a tree," I told her. "I guess I hit the tree because I was trying to avoid running into a deer?"

"Yeah, and the airbags went off, which scrapped up your arms pretty badly because you were trying to block your face," she said.

I walked over to the easel and grabbed a sharpened pencil that was sitting there.

"Are you going to draw?" Rosalie inquired.

I nodded.

"Well, I'm going to go spend some time with Emmett," she said, kissing the top of my head. "I'll see you soon, sweetie."

"Bye, Rose," I said, flipping open to a clean page in my sketchbook.

It was quiet, but I didn't hear Rosalie walk away. I looked up at her, and she was smiling at me.

"What?" I asked.

"You called me Rose," she said quietly.

"Haven't I always called you Rose?" I questioned.

She laughed and shook her head. "I think you remember a little more than Edward originally believed."

"Well, I wouldn't say _that_," I muttered. "I'm not perfect. There are just little things that are triggering my human memories."

"Just go ahead and look at some of the things in your room," she said to me. "That'll help you remember a lot."

She gave me one last smile before she left and headed downstairs.

I turned around and stared at the easel before walking over to my bed. I sat down and sketched the fish from my memory. I drew every single scale and fin that I could remember, finishing the drawing in mere minutes thanks to my vampire speed.

_Something's fishy_, I wrote below the sketch.

When I was done with that, I danced over to the easel and placed down the pencil. I spotted a box of colored pencils, and grabbed a green and gold out of it. I shaded in the scales with the pencils as I walked back to the bed. When I sat down, something on my nightstand caught the light. I looked over and it was the bracelet with all the initials eyes. I reached over and picked it up, carefully twirling it between my fingers so I wouldn't break it. I thought back to the memory of this bracelet, so I slipped it onto my wrist. A wave of comfort washed over me.

I decided I would do as Rosalie said and look around my room. There were tons of picture frames, and I walked over to pick up one sitting on my desk. It was a frame that said "Sisters" on the top. Inside was a photo of Rosalie, Alice, and I with make-up all over our faces and wearing all kinds of accessories.

_"Don't open your eyes until I tell you to," Rosalie had said to me._

_When I did, I didn't recognize myself. My skin looked almost flawless. The make-up around my eyes made them really pop, and my lips were an elegant pink. I could not stop staring. Was it really possible for me to look like this?_

_"Wow," I murmured after staring at my reflection. "I-is it really me?"_

_"Yes, and I think you look beyond stunning, if I do say so myself," Rosalie said._

_After my makeover, Alice and Rosalie dressed them and me in Alice's accessories. Rosalie grabbed a gorgeous red camera, with a touch screen I might add, and snapped tons of pictures._

_"I feel like a supermodel," I giggled when we looked at the pictures._

I smiled, remembering dressing up with Alice and Rosalie. Another frame sat beside the  
>"Sisters" one, and it was a picture of Esme and me in the kitchen. It looked like we had been baking something, as we had flour and big smiles on our faces. This picture, and the one before, looked familiar, but then I realized they were part of Christmas presents that I gave to everyone a few years ago.<p>

Speaking of the Christmas presents… I ran into my closet and located a jewelry box that was sitting on top of a dresser. Lifting the lid, I found the jewelry I was looking for: A pedant with a majestic lion on it, which was my family's crest, and a silver bracelet with rubies. I smiled at the trinkets, and clasped the pendant around my neck. Leaving the bracelet on my dresser, I walked out of the closet and towards one of my nightstands where another picture frame sat.

There were two photos lying in front of the frame, and I picked those up first. One was of Parker with his arm around my waist, and the other was Emmett, Jasper, and I having a snowball fight. When I looked at all these pictures, I could remember when they happened.

The picture frame had a picture that made me curious. Carlisle was sitting in an armchair, holding me in his arms. I closed my eyes and conjured up a memory.

_"Alex, do you trust me? Do you trust Esme, and all of your family?" he asked._

_I nodded._

_He wiped the tear off my face. "Then trust me when I say that we will keep you safe. I know we've said that before and then something else has taken you away from us, but I promise you this time. We might face a force so powerful we do not think we can defeat it. And regretfully, something else could take you away, but we can only hope that this will not happen. But Alex, please remember that there is nothing stronger than the bond of a family. We will come out on top. No matter what."_

I remember coming to Carlisle about something… it was about a nightmare. What was the nightmare about, though?

I wish I wouldn't have thought about that.

The onslaught of memories might have brought tears to my eyes, if I could shed them anymore. Jonathan's disgusting face came into my head, along with the horrid things he did to me. I remembered how he took away my memory and hid me from my family for almost two years. All of the sudden, I really wanted my family, to see their faces and know that they were still there.

I squeezed my eyes shut and took unnecessary breaths, trying to rid my mind of all the unpleasant memories. I thought of all the positive things I could remember, like spending time with Alice and Rosalie, baking with Esme, and Christmas.

I clutched my wrist with the bracelet on it, and I was comforted by its presence once again.

"I see you found your bracelet and pendant," Alice said from the hallway. Funny, I didn't hear her approach. I guess I was too wrapped up in my thoughts to notice.

I nodded, not saying anything to her.

She walked over to me and put her hand on my shoulder. I had a feeling that she saw that I would remember all these things.

"You're okay," she said. "I know those memories are a lot to take in, but you've overcome them once. You can do it again."

"Yes," I whispered.

"So, what I came in here for is that we should take this opportunity and redo your room!" she said to me excitedly.

"Why?" I asked.

"Well, you don't need the bed anymore because you don't sleep, but I'm thinking you should get a daybed in case we need to keep up a human act or something. Ooh, we could go with a whole new color scheme…"

She began to pull me across the room and list off ideas, but using my newfound strength I tugged her arm and pulled her back to where I was standing.

She looked at me, surprised. "Sorry, I guess I'm not used to this yet."

I smiled at her. "I appreciate all the new ideas you have, Alice, but I would like to keep all the colors the same. It makes me feel comforted. It… reminds me of my original room… back in Forks."

Alice smiled at me. "Did you just remember your old room?"

I nodded.

She closed her eyes. "Ah, well, lucky for you there is a day bed with the exact same iron design as the bed you have now. I can get you some black bean bag chairs, a new TV, and a cool floor lamp. How does that sound?"

"I think you didn't even have to _ask_," I said. "You probably already knew my answer."

"I just like to confirm," she said with a laugh.

"So our design is settled?" I asked.

"I'll go place the order now!" she said excitedly, then ran out of the room at vampire speed.

**-oOo-**

**A cute little fill-in chapter for you! I hope you liked it :D**

**Okay, time for me to rant about Breaking Dawn: Part 1! BEST TWILIGHT MOVIE SO FAR, in my opinion. It was so good, but the ending made me so mad! The movie comes out next year… I want to see it so badly, but I don't want to think **_**that**_** far ahead in time! :( Oh god, when the wolves attacked Esme when she was hunting, I started crying because I was so scared for her. Gosh, writing this story has made me even MORE obsessed with the characters then I was before! **


	10. Nessie

**Author's Note: I do not own Twilight. Twilight and all of the characters are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**THANK YOU to IWonderWhatIShouldBeCalled, immortalroxtar, CloudyNight, and emmettlover4everandalways for reviewing the last chapter! Think we can hit FIFTY reviews by the end of this one?**

**chapter ten**

**august 18****th****, 2013**

**-oOo-**

_(Wake me up)_

_Wake me up inside_

_(I can't wake up)_

_Wake me up inside_

_(Save me)_

_Call my name and save me from the dark_

-Evanescence, _Bring Me to Life_

It had been a week since I had woken up from my transformation, and things seemed to be getting back to normal… well, as normal as things could be around here. Alice ordered the new furniture for my room, and it came merely days later. Now I had a new daybed, two new bean bag chairs, a flat screen TV with its own TV stand, and a lantern-like floor lamp. We got rid of the bed and the futon, but we kept the black desk and the nightstands. The room had the same color theme, which made me very happy.

My memory was almost back to the way it was. Thanks to the help of the family and other various objects throughout the house, I could remember just about everything that's happened since I met them. I do vaguely remember Kari and Emi and some of the fun times we had together, but most of my childhood was a blur. I don't even think it was _worth_ remembering.

Since a week had past, Bella and Nessie were coming back home today. I had been hunting every day, at least three times a day, so that my thirst would be in control when Nessie got back. I did _not_ want to hurt her.

My eyes were still red, but Carlisle assured me that some small gold flecks would show in them within the next month or two. I still hated looking in the mirror and seeing those eyes, so I only looked in the mirror when I really needed to.

It was around noon when I was sitting in my room, flipping through TV channels. I heard footsteps approaching the door to my bedroom. From the scent I detected, I believed it was Parker. I was starting to identify my family members by their scents, thanks to my now enhanced sense of smell. Parker smelt like cinnamon, and it almost took my breath away. It was what I was smelling now, which made me know it was him.

"Come in," I said, just as Parker began to knock.

He opened the door and quickly sat down in the vacant bean bag chair. "Hi."

I turned off the TV, and turned to look at him.

"Hi," I said in the same tone.

He rolled his eyes at me. "Edward told me that Nessie and Bella should be back in a half an hour or so. We should go on one last hunt, just to be safe."

"You're probably right," I said, standing up from my seat.

I took down three deer during my hunt as a precaution. I wanted to as prepared as possible for when Nessie arrived. Alice had reminded me that she could not see Nessie in her visions, so we _all _had to be extremely careful.

Parker and I took our time getting back to the house, and I could hear a car in the distance that sounded like it was coming close.

"I think they're back," I told Parker.

"I think you're right," he replied.

I took a deep, unnecessary breath.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"I think so," I sighed.

He grabbed my hand and we ran the rest of the way home. I made sure I ran at Parker's pace so I wouldn't be pulling him along.

When we entered from the doors, I could hear chatter coming from the living room. Parker grabbed my arm and we slowly walked towards the room.

When the living room was in view, a bronze-haired girl stood up from the couch and turned to look at me. My nostrils flared, and the most mouth-watering scent hit me like a bullet train. All I could hear was the fluttering of a rapid heartbeat, and my mouth pooled with venom. I was so focused on getting to the sweet, warm blood flowing beneath that girl's skin. No… she… that girl… had a name… I was forgetting everything, but I could not forget that my throat was _burning_.

Things moved slowly then.

I broke free from Parker's grip and ran towards the girl. The smile she had for me faded away into a look of pure terror. A brunette ran towards her, grabbed her, and darted off into the opposite direction. Suddenly I _hated_ that brunette. I hated her with a passion.

I began to chase them, but I was grabbed by two males who pinned me to the ground. I thrashed violently, wanting to be rid of their iron grasps. This wasn't fair. I snarled and hissed, trying desperately to get free. My vision was tinted with red, as I was infuriated. The faces of larger, brown-haired vampire and the sandy-blonde haired vampire stared down at me. I hated them, too! I wanted to kill them. I wanted to rip them to pieces so I could get to the girl.

"I'm so sorry!" a bell-like voice cried out, sending everything back into normal time. "I wasn't able to see this! I'm sorry!"

Wait…

It was Alice's voice.

The two vampires pinning me down were Emmett and Jasper.

I got mad at Bella.

I almost attacked Nessie.

Dear God… what have I done?

I immediately stopped thrashing under Emmett and Jasper's grip. I froze and closed my eyes. I'm a monster… a _monster_.

I started shaking with dry sobs. A monster… I'm a monster.

"Alex?" Carlisle asked. Hmm, I didn't think he was here. God, of course he's here. I was meeting someone with _blood_ for the first time.

Look how well _that_ turned out.

"You can let her go," Alice murmured.

Emmett and Jasper slowly released me. Nessie was probably very far away by now… they had no reason to doubt Alice.

I stood up and looked around at everyone. They looked at me with pure _pity_. Bella and Nessie were gone, of course, and Edward was not there. He probably went out after them.

I don't think they would forgive me for almost killing their daughter. I don't even think I could forgive myself.

Esme was closer to me than I thought, and she reached her hand out towards me. I ran upstairs before she could even get close.

I opened my door and slammed it so hard behind me that cracks formed in it. I growled, and then realized I had still been gripping the door knob. In my frustration, I ended up squishing the metal into an oddly shaped lump. I growled again, and ran towards the opposite side of the room. As I did so, I passed the mirror.

I saw my eyes. My red eyes. The eyes of a _monster_. A monster that almost killed someone she loves.

"_Damn eyes_!" I screamed.

Out of pure rage, I threw my fist forward. It collided with the mirror and…

The mirror shattered, sending shards of glass to the floor.

I felt like I should go somewhere _dark_, somewhere far away with no one around. That way, I couldn't hurt anyone. Red tinted my vision again, and I heard Alice run into the room.

"Alex, Alex, it's okay!" she yelled, grabbing my shoulders.

"Let me go!" I shouted. I tried to shove her to get her off of me, but that shove sent her flying to the floor. She let out a cry of pain when she hit the ground.

I looked down at her, and then everything just came crumbling down. I sunk down on my knees in agony.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered.

She sat up and moved her way towards me, wrapping her arms around me once again, but this time I did not throw her off. I merely collapsed in her arms.

"I'm a monster," I moaned.

"No you're not-"

"Yes I am!" I shouted. "Don't you see? I almost _killed_ Nessie! I threw Parker off of me, wanted to attack Bella because she took Nessie, and had murderous thoughts about Emmett and Jasper! All because of the _blood_! I'm a monster! A _MONSTER_!"

I began to shake violently and dry sob again.

Alice started stroking my hair, and all of the sudden I started to calm down. The sobbing stopped. My shaking progressively ended.

I looked up, and Jasper was standing in the doorway.

"Thank you… and I'm sorry," I whispered.

He nodded once.

"If anyone is going to understand what you are going through, it's Jasper," Alice said to me.

I looked up at her face. "I'm really sorry, Alice. I didn't mean to knock you to the floor-"

She shushed me. "There is no need to apologize. You were going through a lot… emotionally. I understand."

I sighed. "Bella and Edward are going to hate me. Nessie will be terrified of me."

"They are not going to hate you," Alice muttered. "And Nessie is very smart. She knows what is going on, and she will not be scared of you. Trust me."

She tapped her temple with her finger.

I moved from her arms and stood up. Jasper was still in the doorway.

I hung my head. "I think I'm going to stay in my room… for a while."

"Alex, you don't need to _hide_," Alice said.

I walked towards my easel so I wouldn't be facing her.

"Come back downstairs, Alex," she said.

I shook my head. "I just want to be alone."

"Maybe it would be best if we let her be, Alice," Jasper said. "Give her some time to cool down."

I clenched my fists. He was making it seem like I was unstable… and I'm not saying that I disagreed with him. I felt like I _was _unstable.

Alice didn't say anything, but I heard her walk over to Jasper. She slowly shut the bedroom door, and I heard their footsteps trail down the hallway.

I sat down in front of my easel and wrapped my arms around my knees. I don't know how long I sat like that, but then there was a knock on the door.

"Alex, sweetheart, may I come in?"

It was Esme.

"I'm sorry, Esme. I just want to be alone," I whispered, knowing full well that she could hear me.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk?" she asked.

"I just want to be alone," I repeated.

Esme was quiet for a moment. "Well, if that's how you feel. I'll be downstairs if you need me."

"Okay," I whispered.

"Oh, and Alex?"

"Yes?" I asked.

"You will have to come out of there eventually. You need to hunt," she said.

I didn't answer her, and she had nothing else to say as she walked away from my room.

I sighed as I stood up from the floor. I just stared at the easel for a moment, before I grabbed my sketchbook and a pencil and made my way to my daybed.

I sat down and flipped to the next clean page. If anything, this would be a way to vent my frustration… by drawing. I started by sketching two eyes at the top of the page, and then drew a broken heart below it. My eyes and my heart.

I let out an unnecessary breath and laid my sketchbook beside me. The picture needed color, so I quickly grabbed a red colored pencil to color in the irises of the eyes and the heart.

I flipped between the sketch of the fish and the sketch of the eyes and heart. My difference in mood was easily noticeable between the two drawings.

I paced around my room a few times. I didn't want to leave and face _everyone_ yet, but I wasn't sure what to do with myself otherwise. Wandering into my closet, I ran my hand along my clothes until I came upon my dresser. A high-tech camera, the one I remember getting as a Christmas present from Rose and Emmett, sat upon it. I pressed the power button, and took a quick shot of my clothes hanging next to me.

I darted out into my room and took a picture of the new furniture layout, then dashed over to my easel and snapped a photo.

I lightly tossed the camera back and forth between my hands, wanting to see my photos off the camera. I remembered that Carlisle had a photo printer in his study, so I figured I would make my way in there.

To make it go unnoticed that I was _finally_ leaving my room, I quietly opened my door and tip-toed down the hallway that led to my bedroom door from the main hallway. The door to Carlisle's study was right across the hall. I turned the knob and quietly went inside, and lucky for me Carlisle was not in there. It was late, so he was either working a night shift at the hospital or out hunting.

I walked across the room, headed for the bookshelf containing the photo printer, when I passed a chess set. I looked back, and it triggered the memory of Parker bringing the same one in my room on my birthday to try to teach me how to play. Instead of going to the printer, I turned around and ran my fingers along the smooth wood of the board. The box for the pieces sat next to it, and it gave me an idea for a picture I could take.

The chess board was black and white, so I grabbed a king and an opposite-colored pawn. I placed the king in its starting point on the board, then placed the pawn two spaces in front of it. I crouched down so I was eye-level with the board and the table it was sitting on and snapped a picture.

I ran over to the printer and hooked up my camera. After about seven minutes, all four photos I had taken were printed out. I quietly made my way back to my room, and luckily I didn't encounter any of my family members on the way.

I grabbed my sketchbook and a black colored pencil, and then threw them on my daybed with the photos. I needed some tape or glue, so I looked on my desk where I found a roll of double-sided tape. Perfect.

Flipping to another blank page in my sketchbook, I wrote _GAME ON_ on the top of the page in black. Using the tape, I placed the photo in the middle of the page.

I stared at the page for a moment, trying to think of something to write below the picture. Then, an idea came to me.

_THE POWER-HUNGRY KING DESIRES THE PAWN. HE WANTS IT FOR HIMSELF… HE WANTS IT TO BE HIS PAWN. WHEN HE CAPTURES IT, WHO KNOWS WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?_

**-oOo-**

**I've put up some Coveted Girl photos on my profile if you would like to check them out! Also, if you guys are looking for another FanFiction to read, check out Eliza Russell's story Hold My Hand! It's just getting started, but from the looks of it, it seems to have a lot of potential. It is an Esme/Carlisle/OC story, and I think you'll like little Lily… Check it out!**

**PLEASE REVIEW! :D LOVE YOU ALL!**


	11. Redo

**Author's Note: I do not own Twilight. Twilight and all of the characters are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**I would like to give thanks to Eliza Russell, caseyrn12, IWonderWhatIShouldBeCalled, immortalroxtar, and Cloudy Night, the reviewers of the last chapter. Because of these fabulous people, this story has reached 50 reviews! YAY! Now, I'm just hoping that we can reach 100 reviews by chapter 20 ;D **

**chapter 11**

**august 28****th****, 2013**

**-oOo-**

_You better put it behind you now_

_You better put it behind you now_

_Too much to hold on, hold on to_

_You better put it behind you now_

-Keane, _Put It Behind You_

A week and a half had gone by since I almost attacked Nessie. It had been hard for me, to try and get past the fact that I almost hurt someone that I loved. I thought back to that day, and when I finally decided to leave my room and _talk_ to someone… not just leave to use the photo printer in Carlisle's study…

It was close to midnight when I finally made my way down the stairs and into the living room. Esme, Rosalie, and Alice were sitting together, chatting quietly with their backs to me.

"I told you," Alice murmured to them. I had a feeling that she was talking about me.

"I can hear you," I whispered.

They all turned and looked at me. Esme stood up from the couch, a small smile on her face. I'm sure she was happy that I actually came out of my room.

I walked over to Esme and stood in front of her. She still wore her small smile, and moved a strand of my hair behind my ear.

I reached out to her, almost like a small child, and she engulfed me in her arms. I breathed in her scent, and it reminded me of a bakery. She smelt like almonds and fresh-baked cake.

"You are _not_ a monster, do you understand me?" she muttered.

"Yes," I whispered.

She kissed me on the top of my head, and then let me go from her arms.

I looked at Rosalie and she was smiling at me.

"Come here, baby doll," she said.

I laughed and hugged her. "When did you come up with baby doll?"

"I don't know… I just thought of it. I think it fits you, though. It's cute," she said.

I smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Alice came up behind me and hugged me.

I giggled. Everything seemed to be turning around. Well, except for one thing. I needed to see Nessie again… _without_ trying to kill her.

That next day, I hunted with Parker as soon as the sun came up, then again that afternoon and evening. I kept that pattern up every day, just hunting with different people. Everyone said they were admiring how hard I was working to be able to see Nessie again, but the people I _truly_ wanted to hear that from were Edward and Bella, but I haven't seen them…

Since that day.

It did not surprise me, really. It seemed they were working hard to keep Nessie _very_ far away from me. I didn't blame them, though. If I were them, I would do the same thing.

I wanted to reestablish their faith in me, but the only way to do so was to hunt constantly like I have been doing. That was step one in seeing Nessie again. Alas, there was one thought I kept having… What if she didn't want to see me? I wanted so badly to redeem myself, to show how sorry I was that I almost harmed her, but what if she was afraid of me? What if she wanted to keep away?

So, it was now August 28th, and Carlisle said maybe today would be a good day to try to see Nessie. That other thought came into my head, but nobody would know about it because Edward never showed his face around me. So, I gave Carlisle a smile and said I would.

Parker took me farther away than usual for one last hunt before Nessie came over, but that was probably so they could get her into the house without me being around. I took down two deer and wrestled a mountain lion I came across. That was the largest animal I have ever taken on before, but it was no problem for me.

Parker and I started to run back to the house, but when we got close we walked and took our time. I really was in no rush.

"You seem really tense," Parker said. "You'll be fine. I have faith in you."

I sighed. "At least _someone_ does."

"Now, don't say that," he murmured. "Carlisle believes in you and so do Esme and Rosalie and Alice…"

"Edward and Bella don't" I whispered.

"You'd be surprised," Parker said.

I looked at him, but he didn't elaborate.

"C'mon, it's time to pick up the pace a little," he said, grabbing my hand a pulling me along.

We got to the back doors, and I clenched Parker's hand tighter.

"Breathe," he said to me.

"Well, technically speaking, since I'm a vampire now I don't need to breathe-"

"You know what I mean!" he interjected. "Just… relax."

I took an unnecessary deep breath and nodded. He slid open the doors… and we walked inside.

"We're back," Parker called out.

I sucked in a final breath before we walked into the living room.

Nessie was standing towards the middle of the room, with Bella and Edward on either side of her. When Parker and I walked into the room, Jasper slowly made his way over to stand closer to me. I wanted to yell at him to back away, but I knew it was just a precaution. He wanted to protect his niece.

I looked right at Nessie. Our eyes connected, and she smiled at me. It took me by surprise that she would smile at _me_. I'm the monster that almost _killed_ her.

"You're not a monster, Alex," Edward said to me, commenting on my thoughts.

I looked right at him. Not wanting to release any of the air I took in, I thought, _Yes I am_.

Edward shook his head. "You're a newborn and you were going through your first time being near blood that you couldn't drink, and it was a hu- half-human's blood, no less."

_Are you and Bella upset with me?_ I asked.

Edward gave me a small smile. "No."

I glanced at Nessie. _Is _she_ mad at me?_

"Why don't you let her tell you herself?" Edward suggested.

"What, Daddy?" Nessie asked.

"Maybe you should give Alex your hand… let her know what you're thinking."

She nodded, and started to walk towards me.

Jasper inched closer to me, but I didn't look at him. I focused all my attention on Nessie.

When she got close enough, she outstretched her hand and I grabbed it.

_I'm really sorry for everything I put you through_, she said in her thoughts. _I just want to let you know that I'm not mad at you. I'm not scared of you. I don't fear for my safety around you. I trust you, and I know what you're going through is tough. When I was born, I had to go through it with Grandpa Charlie. I completely understand. _

If I could cry, I think I would be doing so right now. Nessie was such an understanding child, and at such a young age. She was truly a special child… worth protecting.

From that moment on, I swore to myself that I would do everything in my power to keep her out of harm's way.

She smiled at me, and released my hand. I smiled at her, too, but when I did so I giggled…

And took in a whiff of air.

I clamped my hand over my nose and my mouth to cut off my senses. Jasper latched his hand on my shoulder, I'm sure in case he needed to hold me back.

When I took in the air, I expected to be overwhelmed by the smell, but I smelt… mostly vampire. Mostly vampire, with a faint smell of blood.

"Alex? Are you okay?" Esme asked.

"I'm actually fine," I said, slowly lowering my hand until it was back at my side. I smiled back at Nessie. "I'm fine… you smell almost exactly like a vampire."

Nessie smiled the brightest smile.

**-oOo-**

**Sorry that this is a little shorter than usual. It's mostly a fill-in chapter until the NEXT one, which I'm very, very, VERY excited about. Why? Hmm, you'll just have to wait and see! In the meantime… please review! **


	12. Compulsion

**Author's Note: I do not own Twilight. Twilight and all of the characters are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. **

**A large THANK YOU to emmettlover4everandalways, Cloudy Night, caseyrn12, IWonderWhatIShouldBeCalled, immortalroxtar, and Eliza Russell for reviewing the last chapter! I rushed to get this chapter finished so I could update tonight… I've got a busy week ahead of me…**

**chapter 12**

**august 31st, 2013**

**-oOo-**

_Give me attention_

_I need it now_

_Too much distance_

_To measure it out_

_Out loud_

_Tracing patterns across a personal map_

_And making pictures where the lines overlap_

_Where the lines overlap_

-Paramore, _Where The Lines Overlap_

The sun began to rise while I was spending time in my room with Parker. We had just been sitting in the bean bag chairs, doing nothing yet enjoying it completely. I could honestly say that I enjoyed not sleeping anymore. I got to spend more time with my family because of it.

The past two days went without a hitch. I saw Nessie both of the days, and I was perfectly fine. I actually had a conversation with her Thursday, and Friday, before she left to go home, I gave her a hug. That had made me happy for the rest of the day.

When I was with her, I started out fine. When it had been a little too long, though, the smell of her blood became stronger and her heartbeat became louder, until it got to the point where I had to excuse myself and go upstairs. Nessie was so kind and understanding about everything, which made it a lot easier on me… and I'm sure everyone else.

"Throw me the remote," Parker said to me. "I want to see if there's anything on TV."

"It's early on a Saturday morning," I told him, tossing the remote to him. "There's not going to be anything decent on."

He laughed and flipped on the TV. I got up and walked towards the window, pulling back the curtains to look outside. I looked to the left, and there were four people emerging from the trees…

Four _vampires_ emerging from the trees.

I hissed, and Parker was by my side in an instant.

"Who are _they_?" I asked.

There were two males and two females. The first female had pale, long blonde hair, and her arm was linked with a male with sandy-blonde that was pulled back. The other female was behind them, with curly, pale-blonde hair. A male was holding her hand, and he had dark-black hair.

"I don't know who they are," Parker said. "But they're going up to the front door."

Sure enough, the group strode up to the porch and out of view from where I was. I heard the doorbell ring inside the house.

Parker and I ran to the top of the stairs, but stopped when we heard Carlisle open the door.

"Ah, Tanya, Kate, Garrett, good to see you!" he said. "Oh, and you must be Joseph. Come in, everyone."

"Make yourselves at home," Esme added.

"So they're not strangers," Parker whispered to me.

"Did Carlisle invite them or something?" I asked quietly.

"If he did, he didn't tell _us_," he murmured.

"Carlisle, Esme, this is Joseph," one of the females said.

"Pleasure to meet you, sir," a male said, who I assumed was Joseph.

"Please, Joseph, call me Carlisle," Carlisle said with a laugh.

"And call me Esme," Esme murmured.

"Esme, your new home is absolutely _stunning_," the same female voice from before said. "It's obvious that it was designed by you."

Esme laughed. "Thank you, Tanya. We love it very much. It's different from the old house, so we'll have to give you a tour."

"Well, they're obviously old friends of Carlisle and Esme, seeing as they've been to the old house," I whispered to Parker.

"Have you met them before?" he inquired.

I shook my head. "I feel like seeing them would have triggered some sort of memory if I had."

"So, Carlisle, where are the two new additions to your family that you told us about?" a different female voice asked. This one wasn't Tanya, so it had to be Kate.

"Oh, they're just eavesdropping on our conversation from the top of the stairs," he told her with a laugh.

Parker and I looked at each other.

"Alex, Parker, why don't you two come down here?" Esme called out to us.

Parker began to walk down the stairs, and I followed behind him. When he and I walked into the living room, I finally got a good look at our guests. They all had gold eyes except for the black-haired vampire. His eyes were almost an orange color, meaning he was transitioning to the animal-only diet. They all were extremely beautiful, but that was to be expected.

I walked in and stood next to Esme.

"Hello, sweetheart," she said.

"Hi Esme," I replied, giving her a small smile.

"Alex and Parker, I'd like you to meet our extended family from Alaska, the Denalis," Carlisle said.

"It's nice to meet you," I told them.

"Yes," Parker added.

The female with the curly blonde hair smiled at me. "It is a pleasure to meet you two. I'm Tanya, and this is Joseph."

The black-haired male flashed us a dazzling smile.

"I'm Kate, and this is Garrett," the female with the straight blonde hair told us. The man next to her gave us a grin.

"Pleased to meet you," he said. He reached out his hand and Parker shook it. I did the same.

"We were very excited when Carlisle called, inviting us over to meet you two and see the new house," Tanya said.

"And to have Eleazar investigate your power, Alex," Kate chimed in.

I looked at the four of them. "Eleazar? Who is Eleazar?"

Tanya let out a little laugh. "We have six members in our family. Eleazar, and his mate Carmen, are the other two members."

"They're driving in the car with all our bags, so they should be arriving here tonight," Garrett said.

"How long have you decided to stay?" Carlisle asked them.

"As long as you can tolerate us," Kate told him with a laugh.

Esme also let out a laugh. "You all know you're welcome as long as you would like."

"Wait," I blurted out. "What do you mean that Eleazar is going to _investigate_ my power?"

Kate smiled. "It's _his_ special power: Ability identification."

My eyes widened. "So, he'll be able to know right away what my power is?"

"That is correct," Tanya said. "Carlisle said he needed help figuring out what the ability is, but he gave _none_ of us details on it. Would you care to demonstrate for us?"

"Sure," I said. I looked around at everyone, not sure if the Denalis would be willing for me to test my ability on them when they had _no_ idea what it was.

"You can show it on me," Parker murmured.

I smiled and turned to him, looking him right in the eyes.

"Backflip," I muttered.

As commanded, he flipped backwards, landing perfectly on his feet.

"Hmm…" Kate murmured. "Well-"

"Sorry, that probably wasn't a very good demonstration," I sighed.

I looked at Garrett, just hoping they wouldn't get all mad at me for testing it on him without his permission. This time, I didn't verbalize my command.

I stared right into his eyes and thought, _Do a backflip_.

He completed the backflip, landing firmly on his feet. When he did so, he shook his head.

"That was really strange," he said. "Sorry if that was out of the blue, but I just had this _urge_ to do a backflip…"

Kate, Tanya, and Joseph stared at him in disbelief.

"See why we need Eleazar's help?" Carlisle said with a chuckle.

"That's _phenomenal_," Tanya breathed. "What are your theories?"

"Do you remember our friends from Ireland and Siobhan from that coven?" he asked.

Tanya and Kate nodded.

"Well, Edward and I believe that Alex's power is similar to Siobhan's, where she can will something to happen the way she wants," Carlisle shared. "I'm not entirely sure, though."

"Incredible!" Kate said excitedly. "Can you do something else?"

"You should try something out on Kate," Tanya giggled.

"Yes, please do!" Kate exclaimed.

I laughed and looked into her golden eyes.

_Pick up Garrett, bridal style_, I thought. This ought to be good.

In a daze, Kate quickly picked up Garrett. He let out a booming laugh that reminded me of Emmett's.

"What in the world?" Tanya asked in between fits of laughter.

Joseph was laughing behind his hand.

_Put him down_, I thought as I looked at Kate once more.

She did as I wished, then she shook her head and looked at Garrett, a sheepish smile forming on her face.

"I'm not really sure what came over me," she murmured, then whipped her head to look at me. "Did you do that?"

I nodded.

She smiled. "Wow! I'd trade my power for yours any day."

"Do you have a special ability, too?" I asked, curiosity coming over me.

"Electrical current," Kate said simply.

"What does that mean?" I inquired.

"I can spread an electrical current through my skin," she told me. "I can run the current over my entire body, and upon physical contact it can be as minor as a static shock to a full blast of electricity. It's only mental, though. I don't have an _actual_ electric current running through my body."

"Wow," I murmured. "I'd ask you to show me, but I'd rather not be shocked."

Kate laughed.

"So, Joseph, when did you join the Denalis?" Carlisle asked, taking the conversation in a whole other direction.

"I joined them five months ago," Joseph told us with a smile. "I was exploring the lands around their home, when I stumbled across Tanya, who was hunting at the time. I saw her take down a deer, and I was just in awe."

"I saw him standing there, so I went over to him and talked to him," Tanya said. "We hit it off right away, so I brought him back to meet everyone."

"I was intrigued by their way of life, only drinking the blood of animals," Joseph divulged. "For my entire existence, I had hunted humans."

"When were you turned?" Carlisle inquired.

"I was turned in nineteen-nineteen, in Chicago," Joseph sighed. "My father had gone off to war, and my mother passed away when I was young, so I was living with my grandmother and taking care of her. It was late one night when a vampire came to her house, killed her, and took me far away from the city. He was a sadistic vampire, biting me and then leaving me to suffer."

Tanya grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Edward, a member of our family, lived in Chicago around the same time as you, but I turned him in nineteen-eighteen before he was killed by the Spanish influenza that took the lives of his parents," Carlisle shared with him. "What year were you born?"

"Eighteen ninety-nine," Joseph said. "I'm twenty, physically."

"Well, I'm very glad you found the Denalis and are adapting to our lifestyle so well," Carlisle said.

"And we are all very happy for you as well, Tanya," Esme added.

She smiled. "I suppose it was only a matter of time."

Esme smiled back, and then looked at me. "Alex, why don't you show everyone the rooms they'll be staying in, and give them a tour of the house? Carmen and Eleazar's room is the guest bedroom with the private bathroom, and the other two guest rooms are for everyone else."

I nodded. "Everyone can follow me,"

I led them up the stairs and to the third floor. The third floor had a long hallway with two doors on each side.

"The first door to our left is Parker's bedroom," I told them. "The other door on the left, farther down the hallway, will be Carmen and Eleazar's room."

I opened the first door on the right, and walked inside. Everyone strolled in behind me.

"Two of you can stay in this room," I said. "The closet is to your right" – I pointed to the door – "and the door to your left leads to the bathroom, which is connected to the other guest bedroom."

"This room is lovely," Tanya murmured.

I agreed with her. With the light-colored walls, decorative photos, and intricate rug, you can tell it was designed and furnished by Esme and Alice.

I led them through the bathroom and into the other guest bedroom. It was very different from the first, having green walls and curtains, two mirrors above the bed, and tan bedding.

"And this is the other bedroom," I said, gesturing around.

"These rooms are just absolutely stunning," Kate breathed.

"So I assume, when all your bags are here, that you'll pick rooms?" I asked them.

"That sounds reasonable," Garrett said with a shrug.

"Now, let's continue on a tour of the rest of the house," I said, exiting the room. Everyone followed behind me down the stairs and to the second floor. I traveled all the way to the other side of the floor, where Rosalie and Emmett's room was.

"The last door here is Rosalie and Emmett's room," I told them, gesturing into the room. The door was ajar, so they could see the décor inside.

I showed them Alice and Jasper's room, Carlisle and Esme's room, and finally Carlisle's study before we reached my room.

"Finally, this is my room," I said, opening the door and walking inside.

"Bean bag chairs!" Kate and Garrett both cheered excitedly, running over and sitting down in them.

"Ah, this is my kind of chair," Kate said, stretching out her legs.

I giggled. "I'm glad you like them."

"I love the colors in here," Tanya murmured.

"Me too," I said with a smile. "It reminds of my room back in the house in Forks."

"You all moved from Forks in two-thousand nine, so you've been here for four years now?" she inquired.

"Everyone else has… I've been in this house for about two and a half years," I said.

"But I thought you met everyone in Forks?" Kate asked, sitting up in the chair to look at me.

"I did," I sighed. "I was… gone, for a year and a half."

Thinking of that brought an onslaught of memories.

_Running, trees, seeing the ground, Jonathan's face, kissing him, pocket knives… _

I clenched my fists and took a deep, unnecessary breath to calm myself.

"Alex?" Kate asked.

I shook my head. "Sorry," I muttered. "I just got lost in my thoughts."

"Why were you gone for a year and a half?" Garrett asked.

I sighed. "I… well…"

Tanya interjected. "Well, I'm going to take Joseph for a hunt. We'll be back soon."

With that, she grabbed Joseph's hand and left the room.

"You don't have to tell us why you were gone, Alex, if it makes you upset," Kate said.

"If you want to get to know me better, then I might as well just tell you…"

I proceeded to tell her and Garrett the entire story of Jonathan and all the terrible things he did to me. I also told them all about how I met my family in the first place, and everything that's happened to us since I came into their lives.

"It sounds like they really care for you," Kate said with a smile.

I nodded. "I'm so grateful for everything they've done for me."

"I just want that Jonathan guy to come back from the dead… so I can rip him apart myself," Garrett muttered.

I choked out a laugh. "Thanks, Garrett."

He gave me a grin. In many ways, he reminded me of Emmett… funny, over-protective, and outgoing.

For a while, the three of us just chatted. I got to learn a lot about Kate and Garrett's pasts, what their lives were like, and how they met. They gave me a lot of details about the time the Volturi came for Nessie, ready to fight. It was a story I hadn't heard before, and I couldn't help the small smile that spread on my face when I heard about the way my family and their allies stuck together to protect the ones they loved. Kate told me that her coven sister, Irina, was killed in that confrontation because she told the Volturi that Nessie was an immortal child which, of course, she was not.

"Immortal children are forbidden to be created, because of their ferocious behavior and extreme lack of self-control," Kate said. "It… It was the reason that my adoptive mother-slash-creator, Sasha, was killed. She created an immortal child that my sisters and I had no idea about. The Volturi came to punish _all _of us, myself, Tanya, Irina, and Sasha, but Aro read my mind and the minds of my sisters, and saw that we truly had nothing to do with the child. They spared us, but Sasha and the child, Vasilii, were executed."

"I… I'm so sorry for your losses," I whispered. I couldn't imagine what it must have felt like to see your mother, whether adopted or not, executed. I couldn't even _imagine_ losing Esme.

Kate patted me on the hand when Alice suddenly rushed into the room.

"Ah, Kate, Garrett, there you are!" she said with a smile. "We were looking for you! Did Alex keep you guys as prisoners?"

"Ha ha, very funny, Alice," I sneered. "Where have you guys been?"

"Well…" she said, drawing out the word, "Jasper and I were out hunting. Rose and Em were at Edward and Bella's hanging out with Nessie."

"I was wondering when you would show your face, Alice," Kate said with a smile, rising from the bean bag chair to give Alice a hug.

"Nice to see you, cousin," Alice said.

Following behind Alice, we all went downstairs so Kate and Garrett could say hello to everyone else. The two of them were shocked at how big Nessie had gotten, which wasn't a surprise seeing that Kate told me Nessie looked like a small child when she first met her.

It neared close to noon, and all of us literally spent the entire day just talking and, in the case of my family members, catching up with one another. I was able to spend almost the whole day with Nessie, but it neared five o' clock when I needed to step outside and get some fresh air. Parker suggested we go for a hunt, and that's what we did.

After taking down three deer and sharing some stolen kisses, we headed back to the house. I noticed that there was a different car in the driveway.

"Carmen and Eleazar must be here," Parker said as we neared the back door.

We walked inside, and I heard a Hispanic-sounding woman say, "Oh my goodness, child! I can't call you _beb__é__ linda_ anymore! You're so grown up!"

Nessie's distinctive giggle rang out, but then I heard a male let out a slight gasp.

"That… power. Where on Earth is that coming from?" the male said. "Carlisle, could that be your daughter-"

Parker and I walked into the living room, and two new sets of golden eyes gazed at me.

"Wow, this is extraordinary," the man who I assumed was Eleazar said, turning to look at Carlisle.

"I assume you know what her power is?" Carlisle questioned.

"Ooh, what is it?" I asked excitedly.

Eleazar turned to look at me, and muttered one word.

"Compulsion."

Everyone's attention was on me.

**-oOo-**

**So, Alex's power has been revealed… COMPULSION! Do you like the idea? Hate the idea? Let me know by leaving a review! :D If you're wondering why I was so excited about this chapter, it's because… well… I liked bringing the Denalis in. I also really wanted to give Tanya a mate because I felt bad for her for being the odd woman out, so in comes Joseph!**


	13. Calibrate

**Author's Note: I do not own Twilight. Twilight and all of the characters are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. **

**I only got four reviews for the last chapter, but they are appreciated none the less. Thanks to IWonderWhatIShouldBeCalled, immortalroxtar, Cloudy Night, and Dominique Weasley- the fabulous four who reviewed.**

**I just came up with a delightfully evil idea for this story… but it won't be happening anytime soon. You'll have to wait for my evilness. Well, for the evilness that is coming after the evilness that I've already planned. BWAHAHAHAHA! ;D**

**chapter 13**

**september 1st, 2013**

**-oOo-**

_If we're still alive_

_My regrets are few_

_If my life is mine_

_What shouldn't I do?_

-Metric, _Help, I'm Alive_

_Previously:_

_ "Wow, this is extraordinary," the man who I assumed was Eleazar said, turning to look at Carlisle._

_ "I assume you know what her power is?" Carlisle questioned._

_ "Ooh, what is it?" I asked excitedly._

_ Eleazar turned to look at me, and muttered one word._

_ "Compulsion."_

_ Everyone's attention was on me._

"Compulsion," I repeated. "You think my power is compulsion."

"I don't think," Eleazar said. "I know… and let me just say that it is _very_ powerful compulsion."

I just stared at him.

"Are you familiar with compulsion?" he asked me.

Unfortunately, I was all too familiar with compulsion, which was the source of my unease. When I heard the word _compulsion_, it made me think of Jonathan and his goon, Nicholas. Jonathan commanded Nicholas to use his compulsion on me to make me _kiss_ Jonathan.

Rosalie saw my discomfort, and ran over to me to put her hand on my shoulder. I took a deep breath and said to Eleazar, "Yes. I am familiar with compulsion."

"Excellent," he said with a nod.

After being introduced to him and Carmen, he gave me a promise that tomorrow we would practice using my power…

Which brings us to right now.

I stood in our backyard, facing Eleazar and Kate. Garrett, Edward, Emmett, Carlisle, and Jasper stood off to the side, watching us. Esme, Rose, Alice, and Bella were on the deck, chatting with Carmen, Tanya, Joseph, and Parker. Nessie leaned on the railing of the deck, watching us from above. Joseph and Parker seemed to be getting along really well, and that made me immensely happy that Parker had a friend outside of our immediate family.

"What can you do with your power, do you know?" Eleazar asked me.

"I just know that I can get people to do what I want… and that's pretty much the extent of my knowledge," I muttered.

"And how _do_ you get people to do what you want?" Eleazar questioned.

"I guess… well, I just think or say a command and look a person in the eyes. Then, they do what I want," I said.

"Now we're getting somewhere," Eleazar said. "Okay, show me what you can do… on Kate. You don't mind, do you Kate?"

"Nah, she's tested on me before," she said with a laugh. I gave her a small smile.

"Alright, Alex, start with a verbal command," Eleazar said.

I looked at Kate and said, "Jump in the air."

Kate's eyes glazed over and she jumped high up in the air. When she landed, she shook her head and asked, "Wait… What did I do? I don't remember anything."

"I think if I verbalize my demand, the person I use my power on doesn't remember what they did," I told them.

"That's what we believe to be true," Carlisle said to Eleazar.

"I see…" Eleazar murmured. "Now, give Kate the same command, but without saying it out loud."

I gazed into Kate's eyes and thought, _Jump in the air_.

When Kate landed for the second time, she said, "Oh, so you made me jump in the air before."

"What was it like, Kate? What went through your head when she used her power?" Eleazar inquired.

"Well, it was like I had this very strong urge to jump up… an urge that I couldn't control," she told us.

Eleazar nodded and was quiet for a moment. When he spoke again, he said, "Alex, close your eyes for a second."

I did as I was told and shut my eyes tight.

"Now, focus very hard," he said. "Do you sense anything… unusual?"

I could hear his voice and the sounds of the nature around me, but there was also an almost tingly, buzzing sensation… that seemed to be coming from the same direction his voice did. To my right and left, I could feel the sensation as well, but it was weaker.

"There's this… tingling sensation that seems to be coming from your direction, and from the left and right as well, but weaker," I said.

"Excellent," he said. "What you are sensing, most likely, are minds of everyone here."

I opened my eyes and stared at him. "I beg your pardon?"

"Really, what I believe is that you are picking up the part of their brain where your commands will be transmitted to," he said. "Now, focus again and try to pick up the brain waves, but keep your eyes open."

I looked right at him and Kate. I focused on the two of them, and I could sense a buzzing coming from their direction, but what I also saw was… a faint gold glow from around their heads.

"Am I supposed to be seeing gold?" I asked, concerned.

"Where do you see the gold?" he inquired.

"It's floating around your heads… almost like it's coming _out_ of your heads," I muttered.

"The waves must be visible to you, then," he mused.

As he stood there and whispered to Kate, I glanced around the yard. I looked over where Carlisle was standing, and sure enough there was gold surrounding his head and the heads of my brothers and Garrett. When I looked up at the deck, I saw lots of mounds of gold.

"Alex," Kate said, drawing my attention back to her and Eleazar. "Use your power on me again, and tell us if anything happens to the color around her head under the influence of your power."

I looked at Kate and mentally told her to crouch down. As she did so, the light around her head went from gold to a brilliant shade of sky blue. When she stood back up, the color went right back to gold.

"It changed to blue when I used my power, but then it went right back to gold when I stopped," I told everyone.

"I'm guessing the two colors were distinguishable?" Kate questioned. I nodded.

"Good. I'm sure that's to help you see who is being affected by your power and who is not," Eleazar said. He turned and looked up at the deck. "Bella, would you mind coming down here for a moment?"

"Sure," she called out, leaping over the railing of the deck and landing perfectly on her feet. She strode over to us and stood next to Eleazar.

"What can I do for you?" she asked.

"First, if you don't mind, I would like you to put your shield on Kate," Eleazar said.

After a few seconds, Bella said, "It's up."

"Wonderful," Eleazar said. "Now, Alex, try to use your power on Kate. I want to see if it penetrates shields."

I nodded and looked at Kate, silently commanding her to clap her hands three times. I wasn't expecting anything to happen, seeing that Bella's shield was so powerful… but it worked. I gasped, and I thought I heard someone on the deck let out a gasp as well.

Eleazar chuckled. "I knew there was a reason I found you so powerful. Not only do you have an extraordinarily amazing gift, but for it to be able to penetrate shields… Fantastic."

I smiled at him.

"Now…" he said, looking at me and then to Carlisle, which made Carlisle walk over. "It would be best to try and keep this power a secret. We wouldn't want it falling into the wrong hands, now would we?"

I knew, right away, that he was speaking about the Volturi.

"Actually, Alex, there is one more thing that I would like to test out," Eleazar said. "Carlisle, if would you mind walking back over to where you were?"

"Of course," Carlisle replied, dashing over to Edward, Emmett, and Jasper.

"Alright," Eleazar said. "Alex, try to get your father and your brothers to do something… Without looking at them."

"_Without_ looking at them?" I repeated.

"Yes. Just try to sense those brainwaves, and send your command to them."

I focused on the set of waves I felt coming from my left, and tried to push a request in that direction. The first two times, my message didn't reach. It was almost like I threw a ball and it didn't make the distance. The third time was the charm, but I was only to get the four of them to do something simple: raise their right arms.

"Good, good," Eleazar murmured. "Now, try to get everyone on the deck to do something, and try to do it without looking."

There was a very slight pounding in my head, but I nodded and tried again anyway. I focused on the eight sets of brain waves. It took five tries before I could make my commands reach them, and all I could do was make them all stand up.

Suddenly, my head was pounding like a drum, and my knees became so weak that I fell to the ground. Carlisle was by my side in an instance.

"My apologizes," Eleazar said. "That is enough practicing for today."

Carlisle helped me up and I gave him a small smile.

"How about you and Parker go for a hunt?" he suggested. "Get your strength back up."

"Sounds like a great idea," Parker said, leaping down from the deck to come stand next to me.

"I'm sure it will help," I said, and with that the two of us ran out into the woods. I let Parker go ahead of me, and we stopped running when we got farther out.

I used my power, and I watched Parker turn around and run towards me, scooping me in his arms. His lips planted down on mine, and we held the kiss for minutes, neither of us needing to break for more air. When he broke the kiss, he stared at me.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I don't know what came over me… Wait. Did you use your power-"

I cut him off with my giggles. "Sorry," I said.

"Hey," he whispered, kissing the tip of my nose. "I didn't say I didn't like it."

**-oOo-**

**Well, I hope all the stuff with Alex's power wasn't confusing. OMG I'M SO EXCITED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER- EEP! So sorry I didn't update on Tuesday- I had auditions and I've been busy otherwise. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter! :D Happy holidays to all, and to all, a good night! (LOL well it's night for me now)**


	14. Melissa

**Author's Note: I do not own Twilight. Twilight and all of the characters are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. **

**There were many lovely people who reviewed the last chapter: immortalroxtar, Dominique Weasley, IWonderWhatIShouldBeCalled, caseyrn12, MusicIsAlwaysThere, and emmettlover4everandalways. Much love and thanks!**

**I would like to apologize now. This chapter is going to be mostly just a filler chapter… but just **_**wait**_** until the next chapter! You're in for a crazy ride!**

**Alright, ON TO THE DRAMA! **

**chapter 14**

**september 4****th****, 2013**

**-oOo-**

_Is our secret safe tonight_

_And are we out of sight_

_Or will our world come tumbling down?_

_Will they find our hiding place_

_Is this our last embrace_

_Or will the walls start caving in?_

_-_Muse_, Resistance_

The Denalis had stayed with us for the past four nights, but unfortunately they were heading out today. It was five in the evening when they started loading all of their bags into Eleazar's car and we began our goodbyes.

We had a great time the past couple of days. Carlisle had been signed up to work all the night shifts at the hospital while they were here, but during the day he was around, playing the role of the friendly host. Esme loved entertaining everyone, and she just about glowed when everyone was all together in one room.

Eleazar and Kate really helped me fine-tune my power over the past few days. I could now send a command to someone who was _very_ far away from me. I just sent my command to the gold above their heads, and it worked like a charm. I had also improved on sending long-term commands: ones that were in effect for more than just the few seconds my original ones were. Two days ago, I made Emmett not talk for half of the day. Needless to say, everyone got a kick out of that.

Yesterday, though, was _the best_. Emmett, Rosalie, Garrett, Kate, Joseph, and Tanya were all sitting together in the living room, watching baseball on TV and chatting. I knew they were all down there, so I decided I would get some practice with my power. Grabbing my phone, I flipped it to the video camera mode and went downstairs. When I reached the very bottom of the steps, I sent a command to all of their minds and turned the corner, phone at the ready.

Everyone suddenly shot up out of the seats and did the Macarena. They all looked at each other with the most confused expressions on their faces.

"What is going on?" Rosalie shouted.

"I can't stop!" Tanya said.

"Am I the only one enjoying this?" Emmett laughed.

Laughter erupted from me, and I almost fell to the floor. My phone was shaking, but I still managed to keep its camera in view of the dancing vampires.

"Alex? Are _you_ doing this?" Rosalie asked. I couldn't answer her, because I just began to laugh even harder.

Emmett's laughter boomed. "This is the best use of your power yet!"

I switched the power off and everyone fell to their knees, so I flipped off my phone.

After that, Rosalie promptly chased me around the room, threatening me so I would delete the video. I would have just made her stop going after me, but I was enjoying myself too much.

Garrett and Emmett loaded the last two bags into the car.

"Well, I think that's the last of them," Emmett said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Kate came over to me and gave me a hug. "It was so nice getting to know you, Alex."

"Same to you, Kate," I replied. "Thank you so much for all your help with everything."

She released me and gave me a smile. "Anytime. You power is so incredible… I just love watching it being used."

I laughed. "I'm glad you feel that way."

She gave my shoulder a gentle shove. Garrett came over to stand next to her, and he shook my hand.

"Stay out of trouble, you hear?" he said. I giggled and nodded.

"Goodbye, Alex," Tanya said, giving me a hug like Kate did. "Listen to Garrett- he's giving you wise advice."

"I'll do my best," I told her.

Joseph pointed at me in a joking manner. "You won't do your best. You _will_ stay out of trouble."

I shrugged. "You know, with this family, I can't make any promises."

Emmett laughed, coming over to me and wrapping his huge arm around my shoulder.

"Don't worry guys. I'll keep my little sis in line," he said.

"Oh, of _course_ you will," I muttered as I rolled my eyes, causing Emmett to laugh again.

Carmen and Eleazar came over to the six of us. I looked at Eleazar and said, "Thank you for all your help and knowledge with my practice."

He shook my hand. "It was nothing. You are very gifted, and I'm sure you will make great use of your power."

"Thank you," I said.

"Well everyone, I believe it is time for us to be heading out," Eleazar said to his family, and then he turned to Carlisle who walked up to us with Esme. "Thank you for letting us stay."

"It was nothing," Carlisle replied.

"We enjoyed having you over," Esme added with a smile.

Everyone said their last goodbyes. Carmen and Eleazar climbed into their car and drove off as Kate, Garrett, Tanya, and Joseph disappeared into the trees.

I turned to Carlisle. "Thanks for inviting them over, Carlisle. I had a great time."

"I think we all did," he said, kissing me on the top of my head.

The rest of the evening was fairly quiet. Everyone went hunting except for Alice, Jasper, Parker, and I. The four of us were watching some various shows on television when Jasper spoke up.

"So, Alex, I've been thinking…" he said.

"What's up, Jasper?" I inquired.

He leaned forward on the couch. "We all know your ability is extremely powerful and useful, right?"

"Right," I murmured, not exactly sure where he was going with this.

"Well, why don't we practice using that ability as a battle strategy, or a defense mechanism?" he suggested.

A smile spread across my face. "That sounds like a great idea."

"Let's go out in the front yard, then," he said, and the four of us walked outside.

Jasper stood a few feet away from me. "Now, I noticed that in your training the only commands you gave were for people to _do_ something. Not once, however, did you try to make someone _stop_ doing something. Have you practiced that at all, just when I wasn't around?"

"Well, I almost did that to Rosalie the other day, but… I decided against it," I mumbled.

Alice giggled. She had seen the video I took.

"Okay," Jasper said. He turned and walked about ten more feet away, then turned back to look at me. "Now, I am going to run at you like an attacker would. Try to stop me."

I nodded, and he began to run full speed. I focused on the gold around his head, quickly, as he ran at me. I tried to send my message and turn the gold blue, but… it wouldn't work. I tried to focus more energy on it, but before I could try again Jasper put his hand on my neck. Instinctively I reached at his wrist, but his hand was barely holding my neck.

"Not quick enough," he muttered as he released my neck and paced away. "You would have been killed."

I didn't say anything as he walked farther away from me. I glanced at Alice and Parker, who were off to the side. They were watching Jasper as he continued to walk.

Jasper turned back around to face me. There was a look in his eyes that I couldn't place. He didn't look that much like my brother anymore… He looked like a commander, like his former self.

"We're running that again," he said simply. With that, he charged at me. I threw more energy into my demand this time, but just as I tried to move my power towards Jasper he was already grabbing my throat. I didn't grab onto his wrist this time.

"Dead," he muttered. For emphasis, he gave my throat a slight squeeze, then paced back to his original spot.

"Again!" he shouted, and then ran for the third time. This time, I tried to shoot as much of my energy into this command as physically possible. I was straining myself, I could feel it, but I literally _saw_ my command moving towards Jasper. It was a blue orb, small and flickering. Before I could keep it alive for long, I felt weak and the orb disappeared.

Jasper's hand was on my throat. "Dead," he said once more. I grabbed his wrist, trying to hold myself up.

"Jasper…" Alice warned, and I promptly felt dizzy and fell. Jasper quickly grabbed me before I hit the ground. He gently lowered me down until I was sitting.

I looked up at his face, and he looked like he was back to normal. He didn't look like a commander anymore… He looked like my brother.

"I'm sorry, Alex," he said. "That's enough of that."

"I just need… more practice," I sighed, blinking a couple of times.

"What you need is to rest for a minute," Alice murmured, coming over to crouch next to me. Parker did the same.

I nodded and closed my eyes, taking in a few deep, unnecessary breaths.

After a few moments, Jasper and Alice both grabbed my hands and helped me up. They held onto me while I regained my balance.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," I muttered, wiggling my hands out of theirs.

"Are you sure?" Parker asked, putting his hand on my shoulder.

"Yes. I'm sure," I replied, placing my hand on top of his. "But Jasper?"

"Yes, little sister?" he inquired.

I laughed. "There's one more thing I would like to try."

"If you think you're up to it," he said.

I nodded once. "I am."

"Alright then," he said. "What is it you want to try?"

"Can you go back to your spot?" I asked. He nodded and ran off.

"Perfect," I said. "Now, run at me like you did before."

He ran at me and I sent a command, my own way of trying to stop him.

He was about half-way to me before he tumbled to the ground.

Alice gasped.

I looked at Jasper for a moment, and he was getting up and dusting himself off. Both he and Alice looked at me.

"Okay, well, that works," I said simply. "Thanks Jasper."

He laughed while Alice said, "What in the world was that?"

"A defense mechanism: My own way of getting him to stop," I boasted. "I told him to fall down and he did it."

"Unfortunately, in a real battle, I would be someone who actually _wanted_ to attack you, so I would get back up and keep going after you," Jasper muttered.

"I know, but fortunately for me you don't really want to attack me, so I figured I'd be okay," I told him with a mischievous smile.

He chuckled and shook his head.

"And _besides_," I added. "I could have just told you to fall down and not get back up. Now _that's_ a defense mechanism."

Jasper playfully lunged at me and trapped me in a headlock.

"Hey, let me go!" I shouted in between laughter. He moved his arms and I gently shoved him, which made him stumble back slightly.

"Whoops, sorry," I said with a giggle. "Forgot about my newborn strength."

"He rolled his eyes and Alice laughed behind her hand. Parker smiled at all of us.

Suddenly, there was a crunch of leaves from our left. Our heads whipped towards the sound, and we peered into the trees. At first I saw nothing until a little girl emerged from the woods… The most _adorable_ little girl I have ever seen. She was younger, much younger than the rest of us.

Jasper stepped in front of Alice and I, and the both of us grabbed onto his arms. Parker stood beside me.

"Carlisle," Alice called out shakily.

**-o-**

Along with Carlisle and Esme, Edward had just got back to the main house after hunting, and he could hear the thoughts and voices of Alice, Jasper, Alex, and Parker in the front yard. They were all laughing about _something_, but he really had no idea what.

He sat down in the living room, and listened to all of their thoughts. Alex had been practicing defensive moves with her power. He heard the thoughts of all four of them, but he knew something was off when he heard the thoughts of a fifth person farther off in the distance yet still near the house.

_I hear voices ahead! I'm not alone!_ the person's thought as they neared the house.

"Carlisle," Edward called out. "There's someone coming towards the property."

Edward moved towards the window as Carlisle and Esme came up behind him. He watched as Alice, Jasper, Alex, and Parker's heads whipped around to look in the direction where he heard the thoughts coming from.

The person emerged from the trees, and he was in shock.

He saw Jasper protectively stand in front of Alice and Alex. Parker stood beside them.

Alice called out Carlisle's name, and from inside he, Esme, and Carlisle rushed out the door and down the steps. Whether he liked it or not, Edward had to accept the ugly truth.

There was an immortal child on his family's front lawn.

**-oOo-**

**Well, that last little bit of the chapter was in Eddie's POV. I think it's fun to write in his POV because he sometimes knows so much more than everyone else. **

**So, what will happen next? You'll have to wait and see!**


	15. Go

**Author's Note: I do not own Twilight. Twilight and all of the characters are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Okay, okay, okay! I know I just updated a few days ago, but I was so excited for this chapter that I wrote this whole it in one day (yesterday). So, since I was done with it I figured I would update… YOU'RE WELCOME. **

**Thanks to my woooooonderful reviewers: caseyrn12, MusicIsAlwaysThere, immortalroxtar, IWonderWhatIShouldBeCalled, Dominique Weasley, Eliza Russell, and emmettlover4everandalways. I got almost ALL of these reviews within 24 hours of my update, which knocked me off my feet! :D **

**I promised you craziness for this chapter, and when I promise craziness… oh boy, do I **_**deliver**_**. **

**chapter 15**

**september 4****th****, 2011**

**-oOo-**

_It starts with a picture_

_And it sits in your frame_

_And we part with a letter_

_And it ends in my name._

_-_Ellie Goulding_, Every Time You Go_

"Hello. My name is Melissa, and I'm nine," the little girl said. "Can you tell me where I am?"

Jasper let out a hiss when the girl- Melissa, said her name. She looked like a little angel… until you saw her blood-eyes. They were doe-like, but it was hard to get past the color. Nervously, she grabbed a strand of her long, straight, beach-blonde hair and twirled it between her fingers. I couldn't get over just how _cute_ she was, but she was an immortal child, and immortal children were against the vampire law. My family had already had too many infractions with the law… We didn't need another reason for the Volturi to be bothering us again, especially with my ability being so powerful. They'd just try to split us up, somehow.

After Alice had called Carlisle, her gaze never left Jasper's face. She was studying him, I could tell. Jasper, however, never took his eyes off Melissa. She stared back at him, looking purely terrified and confused.

Carlisle came outside, followed by Esme and Edward. He came up behind me, and Edward was next to him.

"Don't get attached to the girl," Carlisle whispered in my ear, and then walked with Edward to stand next to Alice. He, Parker, Edward, and Jasper walked forward slightly, putting themselves in front of Alice and me. She grabbed onto my arm.

"Our men… Always protecting us," she whispered in my ear.

"You have no idea," Esme said, walking to us.

"Well, Melissa, do you know how you got here?" Carlisle asked the little girl.

She shook her head. "I-I can only remember my name, and that I am nine."

"That's all?" Carlisle inquired.

"That's all," she whispered.

Carlisle looked at Edward.

"That's all," Edward muttered.

"She can't stay here, Carlisle," Jasper muttered, staring daggers at the girl.

She bit her lip. "Oh please sir, can't I stay? I have nowhere else to go."

Nobody answered her. My heart ached for her, but Carlisle warned me not to get attached. That was a lot harder than I thought it would be.

Esme frowned. "Carlisle, maybe we could-"

"Esme..." Jasper sighed, looking back at her. She looked down. This was hard for her, being the welcoming person she was. I gave her hand a gentle squeeze, and she gave a sad smile.

"Do you know what you are, Melissa?" Carlisle asked.

"Um... A girl?" she stammered.

Carlisle let a small smile slip, but it faded quickly. "Well, yes, but you're also something else."

"W-what?" she asked.

"A vampire," Jasper muttered.

She giggled. "Vampires don't exist."

Jasper turned to Parker. "Go grab a mirror from inside... a non-valuable one."

Parker nodded then ran inside, and came back moments later with a small round mirror with a plastic handle. It was one you could buy at any store, really.

He handed the mirror to Jasper, and Jasper walked forward towards Melissa.

"Look at yourself," Jasper told her, handing her the mirror.

She positioned it right in front of her face and stared into it for the longest time. Finally, her expression changed, but into one of anger. She began to shake, then turned sideways and chucked the mirror so far away that it collided with a tree and smashed into pieces.

She turned back to Jasper, and she didn't look innocent anymore. She looked like a demon.

"What did you do to me?" she screamed, lunging at him. He couldn't get her off, because of her newborn strength, so I shoved past Carlisle and ripped Melissa right off of Jasper. She fell back and glared at me, then got right back up and punched me right in the cheek. I tumbled to the ground from the impact, and I saw Edward and Jasper pin Melissa down from the corner of my eye.

"Alex, are you okay?" I heard Esme ask me as she moved to my side. She took a look at my face and gasped. I moved my hand to where I was hit. In my marble-like skin, there was a little crack.

I leapt up and stared down at Melissa. She looked at me and began to dry-sob.

"I'm so sorry!" she wailed. "I didn't mean to hurt you!"

I continued to look down at her. I knew she had the capability to become vicious and attack us all, but seeing her sobbing almost made me forget that... which was really stupid, when I thought about it.

"You are an immortal child," I told her. "A vampire child, basically. They are vicious, temperamental, and have little self-control. You just proved that to be true moments ago."

She let out a strangled sob.

"I'm new to this different world, just like you," I muttered. "But, I already know the laws of this different world. One of these laws is that immortal children are not to be created."

Melissa cried even harder.

"Now you can see why you can't stay here," I said. "But let me tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to make you hunt because god only knows how thirsty you are-"

"Alex," Jasper said. "This probably isn't a good idea."

I looked right at him. "You trust me, don't you?"

He nodded once.

I looked back at Melissa. "And after you hunt you are going to run far away from here- very, _very_ far away from here, and hide. Hide somewhere, anywhere. You are going to hunt animals, like us. You will hide away where you can only run into animals, and you will not go into any human cities or towns because you will _kill_ them all. You will not be able to control yourself. Do you understand me?"

"So, you're basically telling me that I will be alone forever?" she asked.

"It's either hiding alone forever or dying... Your choice," I sighed.

Melissa's lip trembled.

"So, what will it be?" I questioned.

"I... I'll go with you," she whispered.

"Excellent," I muttered, no emotion in my voice. "Jasper, Edward, I think you can let her up now."

They pulled Melissa to her feet and she stood in front of me, looking up at my face.

I crossed my arms. "Well, what are you waiting for? Start going."

She turned around and started walking at a human pace. I figured I'd tell her she could run _after_ I talked to my family.

"Hurry back," Esme said.

I huffed. "Don't worry, I will. I'll be dying to get back."

"I must admit, you handled that pretty well," Jasper told me.

"Surprised?" I asked. "A newborn taking care of a newborn. You probably don't see much of that."

With that, I took off after Melissa.

"You know, you _do_ have the ability of super speed," I told her.

We both ran off into the forest. She took down three deer, while I took down a modest one.

She made a face after the third deer. I don't even think she took in the taste of the first two.

"Eh, you'll be getting used to the taste... because you're _not_ going to hunt animals," I said.

"But this blood tastes so _gross_," she whined. All of the sudden, her nostrils flared and a smile spread across her little face. "I want _that_ blood."

I took a sniff of the air, to see what she smelt that was so appetizing to her.

It was Nessie's blood.

Panicked, I leapt on top of Melissa as she began to run off towards where Bella and Nessie most likely were. She struggled underneath me, and at that moment I was extremely grateful for the newborn strength because otherwise I wouldn't have been able to hold her down.

"Let me go! Let me go!" she whined.

"You can't have that blood!" I shouted.

All of the sudden, Melissa let out a blood-curdling shriek. She stopped struggling, but started convulsing. What the hell was happening to her?

"Well, well, well. What on Earth do we have here?" Jane of the Volturi cooed.

This could _not_ be happening.

I leapt off of Melissa in a second and stared right back into Jane's red eyes. Melissa was still screaming her head off, but as much as it pained me I could not show any sympathy.

"Well, look at you," she said with an evil smile. "You're one of _us_ now."

"Yes," I replied.

Jane continued to smile, and Melissa stopped screaming. She laid on the ground, trying to regain her breath.

"And is _this_ an immortal child?" Jane questioned.

"I was just forcing her to hunt my diet and then I was sending her on her way," I told her.

"Ah, but you associated with the immortal child, and I'm sure you know that immortal children are against the law," she replied. "You're guilty."

"I didn't create her!" I said.

"I don't think that matters," Jane said.

"Oh, I think it does," I spat.

Jane glared at me. "Well, did your precious little _coven_ associate themselves with the girl?"

"Why does that matter?" I asked.

"So you're saying they _did_, then?" she questioned.

I didn't answer.

"So, if Carlisle, Edward, and the blonde fighter" -I'm sure she was referring to Jasper- "saw the child, why didn't they kill her? Of course _they_ knew immortal children were against the law. Why. Didn't. They. Kill. Her?"

I said nothing.

Jane chuckled. "Hmm, I guess you don't have an answer for me."

"Alex? What is going on?" Rosalie asked, running up to me. I guess she had finished hunting.

She glared at Jane. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Jane smiled, and Rosalie was on the ground screaming in pain.

Furious, I screamed at Jane, "Leave Rosalie alone! She had nothing to do with this! _STOP!_"

"Make me," Jane sneered.

So, I looked right at Jane and forced all my energy into making her stop. I was so mad that the command just seemed to float effortlessly at the gold around her head, turning it a brilliant blue. I don't know how I did it, but I did.

By doing so, I just exposed my power, which meant things could only get worse.

Jane looked utterly confused, then glared at me.

"Did you do that?" she screamed.

I didn't answer her as I knelt down next to Rosalie, who was breathing heavily on the ground. I could see that Melissa was still not moving, because she was probably too scared to.

Jane grabbed my arm and yanked me up.

"Did you do that?" she yelled once more.

"Alex!" Carlisle called out. I could hear my family running towards us.

"Rose!" Emmett shouted when he saw his wife on the ground. He knelt down and cradled her in his arms. "Are you alright?"

"Jane..." she whispered, "But Alex stopped her."

"You stopped her?" both Jasper and Carlisle asked me at the same time.

I didn't want to say anything, so I just looked at Edward, who had just approached with the rest of the family.

_ I know I exposed my power, and I'm sorry! I just couldn't stand seeing Rosalie on the ground in pain, and then Jane taunted me to stop her from hurting Rose, so I did!_

Edward nodded once.

"Oh, wow!" Jane said in mock excitement, grabbing both my arms and turning me to face her.

Esme and Parker growled.

"Is this your power?" Jane asked. "Some sort of compulsion? Master will be very interested..."

She released me and I ran over to Carlisle, who grabbed me in his arms. I looked down at Rosalie and she was sitting up with Emmett protectively wrapping his arms around her. Bella was here now, so Jane's power was useless, but I don't think he was taking any chances of Rose getting hurt again. I think it upset him that he wasn't there to do _something_ for her, even if it was just for a short amount of time.

Jane looked at all of us. "Well, my brother, Felix, Demetri, and I all came here to check on Alex, to see if she really _was_ like us, but then we found her with an immortal child."

"She was making the girl hunt like she did, then she was going to send her away," Esme told her.

Jane smirked. "So I've been told."

She narrowed her eyes at me. I stared right back.

There was a rustling, and then Alec, Felix, and Demetri came to stand next to Jane.

"It is about time, brother," Jane said.

"My apologizes for our delay, sister," Alec told her.

"Well, look what we have here," Felix muttered, yanking Melissa off the ground. She looked at him with the most terrified expression.

"I've already dealt with most of the situation, Felix," Jane said. "But these rule-breakers need to be punished."

"We didn't do anything!" I shouted.

"Enough!" Jane yelled, turning back to look at me. "It is now required that we take the child-"

"Why not just kill her yourself?" I spat. "Isn't that what you're supposed to do?"

"No, Aro must deal with... it," she said. "We also need you..."

I glared at her.

"And your coven leaders," Jane finished.

"What do Carlisle and Esme have to do with any of this?" I asked.

"They need to be there to hear your sentence," Jane said simply.

"Alex is not guilty of anything," Esme said. "The law states that immortal children are not to be created. Alex did not create the little girl."

"Aro still needs to speak with her," Jane told her. "Immediately. Therefore, you will be coming with us. We flew here in our own private plane, which will be good because that _girl_ won't be able to control herself on a plane full of weak defenseless humans."

"Came prepared, didn't you Jane?" I snarled, crossing my arms.

Jane smiled. "Yes. I suppose so."

"Go collect some of your belongings and hurry back. We need to leave," Alec said.

"Well, go on now," Jane cooed.

I glared at her and ran back to the house, not looking to see if my family was behind me. I ran through the back doors and straight up to my room, grabbing a duffel bag from my closet.

I searched my desk until I found a plastic Ziploc bag. The picture frames around my room were emptied as I placed the pictures into the bag. Who knew if I was ever going to see my family again? If I didn't, it would be my own damn fault. I should have never taken Melissa hunting... I should have listened to Jasper's warning.

I grabbed some clothes, undergarments, and my toiletries, then stuffed them in my bag. I grabbed the family pendant from my jewelry box and fastened it around my neck, then grabbed Parker's bracelet that he gave me and placed it on my wrist along with my charm bracelet.

I placed the duffel bag on the floor and picked up my sketchbook with the drawings, tearing out a blank page. The sketchbook was then tossed on the bed. It may have flipped open to a random page, but I didn't look at it.

Grabbing a pencil from desk, I wrote a quick note on the piece of paper.

_**I'm sorry for everything. **_

_**-Alex**_

I folded the note in half and placed it on my desk, then grabbed my duffel, zipped it up, and carried it out of my room. When I got downstairs, everyone was there. Esme and Carlisle both had small bags with them. I saw out the window that the Volturi were waiting outside.

"You're wearing your pedant," Rosalie whispered when I walked into the room.

I almost lost it right there and then, running into her arms. She held me close and kissed me on the forehead.

"Thanks for your help back there, baby doll," she whispered in my ear.

I nodded and backed up from her, then ran into Emmett's open arms.

"Stay safe, kiddo," he said.

"I can't make any promises," I whispered back, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

He released me, and I gave Nessie, Edward, and Bella hugs. When I got to Parker, he lightly pressed his lips to mine.

"I'm going to miss you, angel," he said. "Stay strong. I love you."

"I love you, too," I whispered.

It was a shame that all he would have left of me was the picture frame in his room that held a photo of us. The same picture was sitting in my duffel.

I got to Alice, and she almost squeezed the life out of me.

"I'm sorry," she whispered quickly. "I can't see your future. I'm sorry."

I looked at her, confused. "Don't apologize for that."

I moved to Jasper and I just looked at him.

"You can say I told you so," I muttered.

I gave him a kiss on the cheek, then turned around and walked out the door.

When I left, I thought I heard him whisper, "I would never."

**-oOo-**

**Crazy enough for 'ya? I promised I would deliver! :)**

**What will happen to everyone now? Gosh, you'll just have to wait and see! In the meantime… PLEASE REVIEW! Happy New Year! :)**


	16. Demands

**Author's Note: I do not own Twilight. Twilight and all of the characters are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**The awesome people who reviewed the last chapter were MusicIsAlwaysThere, caseyrn12, IWonderWhatIShouldBeCalled, immortalroxtar, Cloudy Night, emmettlover4everandalways, and Dominique Weasley, and I love them! **

**chapter 16**

**september 5th, 2013**

**-oOo-**

_This ain't goodbye_

_This is just where love goes_

_When words aren't warm enough_

_To keep away the cold, oh no_

_This ain't goodbye_

_It's not where our story ends_

_But I know you can't be mine_

_Not the way you've always been…_

_As long as we've got time_

_Then this ain't goodbye_

_-_Train,_ This Ain't Goodbye_

The Volturi's plane touched down on a small runway strip in Italy in the evening, which meant that it had to be the next day. A few other planes sat on the runway, and there was a command tower over to the side.

The flight from Astoria to Italy took about sixteen hours… Sixteen hours of silence. With us being monitored the entire time, what could Esme, Carlisle, and I say to each other?

The inside of the plane had rows of three seats on one side and rows of two seats on the other. Carlisle, Esme, and I sat together, leaving Melissa to sit with Demetri. Felix was flying the plane while Jane sat in front of us and Alec behind us.

When the plane took off, Esme had grabbed my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. I tried to give her a smile, but it didn't work out so well. For the entire rest of the flight, she held my hand and didn't let go. I was grateful for that. Esme rested her head on Carlisle's shoulder, and he stroked her hair. It was one of the most adorable things I had ever seen. I tried to cherish the image, because I had the fear that it would be one of the last memories I had of my adopted parents.

During the whole flight, I couldn't help but think of what Aro had up his sleeve. He was probably going to kill Melissa, which sent a pang of sadness in my chest. It wasn't fair what she had to face, all because of what someone did to her. I had to think, though. Did the person who changed her have a _reason_ for it? Was she dying? Could she have been the only person left in her creator's life that they just had to _turn_ her?

I snuck a peek at Melissa, who was staring out the plane's window. She seemed so lost.

I looked back at my hand in Esme's. Since I had such a powerful ability, Aro would find some way to put me in his guard. Knowing him, he would never pass up this power.

If I was split up from my family, or if something happened to _any_ of the family, I knew it would be my fault. I should have never offered to take Melissa hunting… I should have just sent her away, like Jasper said. As much as I wanted to put all the blame on Melissa- she did stumble into our lives, after all- I knew I couldn't. In a way, she reminded me of myself. I came upon my family, and caused a lot of fuss. Alas, I wasn't an immortal child when I met my family. I wasn't against vampire law. _That_ is what set her and I apart.

Felix came out of the cockpit and told us we could exit the plane. Demetri took a hold of Melissa's arm and moved her out. Esme, Carlisle, and I followed Jane while we were followed by Alec.

We stepped out of the plane and into the darkness of the evening.

"We will be running to Volterra," Jane told us. "Try to keep up."

Felix dragged Melissa along as he ran, and I just watched Jane, avoiding any obstacles as I moved on. The darkness concealed us from anyone that could be watching- not that we were anywhere close to civilization, but still.

It didn't take us long to reach Volterra, and we walked straight through the gates and into the city. We were lead straight to the same alley entrance that Carlisle, Esme, and I had to use when we were last here. Moving aside the grate and entering the dark tunnels brought back unpleasant memories. However, unlike last time, I could see clearly in the dark thanks to my heightened senses.

Jane led us through the lobby and the same secretary sat at the wooden desk. She had obviously aged in the past couple of years, as new little wrinkles were visible on her face. I didn't know if she already had the wrinkles and I was just seeing them clearly now, but they were well defined around her eyes.

She smiled at us as we walked by, which I'm sure she was required to do. I wondered if she knew what we were going to face behind the dreaded double doors.

We walked down the hallway, and I could hear chatter from the throne room. I gulped as Jane pushed open the doors.

"Ah, Jane!" Aro said with a smile. "Thank you so much for bringing them!"

"It was my pleasure, Master," Jane replied. She turned and gave me a sneer before moving to stand closer to Aro.

"And… oh my," Aro murmured, moving from his chair to move towards me and leaving Marcus and Caius behind. "Alex, finally a vampire. You've entered this life well, my dear."

I said nothing.

Aro chuckled. "I assume you wonder why I called you here."

"I have an idea," I muttered.

He chuckled again. "Well…"

He walked forward until he was just mere inches from Melissa, then looked down at her. "_This_ is the reason."

He snapped his fingers and a member of the guard rushed over and stood next to Melissa… but it wasn't anyone I recognized. He was a vampire, _obviously_, with ruby-red eyes and long jet-black hair with red streaks in the front that were as equally bright as his eyes. I assumed that he had some significant power that got him here, and I wondered what it could possibly be.

I was distracted by the newcomer, and Aro took it as a time to grab my hand. I tried to pull it away from him, but he held it as tightly as he could manage with both of his hands.

He was silent for a moment as he probed through all of my thoughts.

"Oh, my apologies, Alex," he murmured. "It seems I neglected to introduce the new members of our guard. This is Xavier."

The vampire next to Melissa gave me a wicked smile.

"Wait," I said. "Did you say new _members_?"

Aro grinned. "Yes. Alex, I would also like you to meet Francesca."

He gestured to a female vampire to the right of the thrones. She had ringlets that were a fiery red and cascaded down to her lower back. Her eyes were also red and she had freckles. I didn't know vampires could _have_ freckles.

I looked at her and she stared right back, her face expressionless.

Aro looked at Carlisle and Esme. "Her hair brings back some memories, doesn't it?"

Esme scowled at him. I didn't really have any idea what he was talking about, but I assumed I would find out sooner or later.

Aro dropped my hand from his and I moved back closer to Carlisle and Esme.

"Oh, Alex, just speaking of a former enemy of your family," Aro said, answering my thoughts. "Of course, they destroyed her. You're family certainly does a lot of that. Destroying things."

"What is that you want us all for, Aro?" Carlisle asked.

"And just wait until you hear about Xavier's ability!" Aro said excitedly, completely ignoring Carlisle. "I think _you'll_ find it interesting, Alex."

"Just cut to the chase, Aro," I snapped. "Why did you _really_ call us here?"

"It seems that your coven just cannot follow the law… An immortal child?" Aro asked. "Carlisle, I assumed you, of all people, would know better."

"We didn't create her," Esme said.

"Ah, Esme, you think I don't already know that?" Aro asked. "Alex's mind is just _so _informative."

I glared at him.

"You associated with the child, and Alex here took her under her wing-"

"We're not at fault here, Aro," Carlisle said. "The law states that immortal children are not to be created-"

"But you know she's against the law," Aro interrupted. "You didn't destroy her, and in this situation I find you and your coven guilty."

"That's ridiculous," I said.

Aro looked at me and smiled. "Oh, Alex, we didn't discuss you're power, did we?"

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"Compulsion…" Aro murmured. "Fantastic. I've never heard of such a power. Just imagine all of the possibilities…"

It was like a light bulb went off in my head. "So, _that's_ what this is all about?"

"I beg your pardon?" Aro asked.

"You dragged us all the way out here just so you could get a hold of me and my ability?" I questioned.

Aro chuckled. "Alex, what do you take me for? Surely, we would love for you to join our guard, but we wouldn't take you without reason…"

I had a bad feeling about this…

"You all are here so we could discuss how your coven is in violation of the law… and how every member of your coven is to be punished… by death," he said.

"_What?_" Esme, Carlisle, and I shouted all at the same time.

"I believe you heard me correctly," he murmured simply.

"This is absurd!" Carlisle yelled. "We committed no wrongdoing!"

"Fine. If you wish for me to spare your coven," Aro said, "Then you need to comply with my demands."

"And what would those be?" Carlisle asked, crossing his arms.

"Surrender the immortal child…" Aro said, to which Xavier shoved Melissa forward. "And…"

"And what?" Carlisle questioned.

"Give the trouble maker to me," Aro murmured.

I stared at him in disbelief, knowing he was talking about me. "What?"

"Hmm, it seems the tables have been turned, my dear," he said to me, then turned to look back at Carlisle. "Young Alex here has been quite the danger magnet these past few years. It seems to me that it would just be easier for you and coven to give her up."

"How can you even _suggest_ something like that?" Esme yelled.

"Well, for one, your coven has had to run across the world for her, and _so _many other vampires were killed. Yes, I believe Nathaniel was trying to overthrow the Volturi, so I am grateful that you got rid of him, but there were many other gifted vampires you destroyed. Adrienne, as an example, and Jonathan…"

I stiffened when Aro mentioned Jonathan. I tried not to dwell on those memories, and Aro was bringing them up when I was most vulnerable.

I'm sure that was his plan.

"We destroyed Jonathan because of the terrible things he did to her!" Esme shouted.

"Oh, believe me, I already know about _all _of that," Aro sneered, looking at me. I glared at him.

"Alex is a member of our family… our coven, and we would not just give her away because of a little trouble!" Carlisle said.

"If you do not give her to me we destroy her, you, and the rest of your precious little _family_." Aro sneered when he said the word family.

"No!" Esme growled.

"How dare you speak to Aro in that tone!" Caius yelled.

"Patience, Caius, patience," Aro said. "Xavier, give me the immortal child. Demetri and Felix, please give me a hand with Carlisle and Esme."

Demetri and Felix were holding the two of them in a second and I crouched, a ferocious snarl rising from my throat. Esme struggled in Felix's arms, trying to get to me.

"Jane," Aro said simply.

In the next second, I was burning. The same feeling from my transformation came back full force, and this situation was all too familiar… Esme and Carlisle being held captive while I was powerless on the ground. I thought I could hear Esme screaming, but it could have just been my own screams of pain.

Suddenly, the pain stopped, and I picked myself off the ground.

"Fine, fine, I'll do what you want!" I shouted. "Just don't harm them, please!"

"Ah. Giving yourself up for your family… again," Aro said with a malevolent smile, and it made me sick.

"You've made an excellent choice, my dear," he said to me. "Your family will be spared. Usually, I would just kill them all and keep you, but I think you all need to live with the consequences of your actions."

He chuckled and looked at his guard. "Send Carlisle and Esme away."

"Alex, you don't have to do this!" Esme said.

"Say your goodbyes, Alex," Aro said, walking to his throne. Xavier dragged Melissa off to the side.

I walked over to Carlisle and Esme. They both looked pained.

"You don't have to do this," Esme said again.

"What choice do I have?" I whispered.

"It isn't fair!" she spat.

"That doesn't make any difference, Esme," I sighed.

"Ah, so wise at such a young age," Aro sneered.

Carlisle sighed and kissed my forehead. "Stay strong, and remember what I said. There is nothing stronger than the bonds of a family."

That reminded me of the picture of Carlisle and I, in his office. Things seemed so simple then… I just wish I could go back.

I nodded, and looked at Esme. She leaned forward and kissed me on the forehead."

"I love you two," I told them.

"And we love you," Esme whispered.

"Forever and always," Carlisle said.

"Tell everyone that I love them and that I'm sorry," I added.

Carlisle nodded.

"You can take them away now, Felix and Demetri," Caius said.

I just stood there and watched the guards drag away my parents. I was now a prisoner of the Volturi.

Would I ever see my family again?

Aro stood up from his throne once more, and walked over to Melissa. He knelt down so he was at eye-level with her.

"We'll deal with you later," he said. She just stared at him, not responding.

"I am thrilled that you've joined the guard, Alex," Aro said with a smile.

I glared at him. "I can't say the same for myself."

Suddenly, I was burning again. _Jane_.

"Bella can't protect you here," Jane sneered.

"Jane, enough. Alex is a member of our guard now and therefore you shall not harm her," Aro told her without even glancing at her.

The burning stopped in an instant, and I picked myself off the ground once more.

"Yes master," Jane replied. I could tell by her voice that she was _not_ happy.

Aro looked at Jane this time. "Please escort Alex and little Melissa to the guest room where we put Alex's things."

"Yes master," she said again with a nod. Xavier gave Melissa a shove and she followed behind Jane. I did the same.

Jane led us down many hallways and passed what felt like hundreds of doors before we reached a door that was at the end of a very short hallway. She opened the door and we followed her inside.

The room was extremely lavish and large, but what would you expect from the Volturi? There was a black and red theme, with two beds to our left and a large couch and two armchairs to the right. In front of the couch was a coffee table, and a glass vase filled with white roses sat on top of it.

They were mocking me.

"Aro will deal with you tomorrow," Jane said as Melissa and I passed through the doorway. I turned and glared at her.

Jane smiled and a flash of burning pain went through my body. As soon as it came, though, it was gone.

"Like I said," she taunted. "Bella's shield can't protect you here."

I growled at her as she left the room.

"Welcome to Volterra," she muttered, and slammed the door shut.

It was quiet for a moment, until Melissa said, "There was something familiar about Xavier."

I completely disregarded what she said as I looked around the room for my bag. There were doors farther back in the room from the right and to the left, so I tried the left door. It led to a bathroom, and sitting on the marble counter next to the sink was my duffle. I opened it and grabbed the plastic bag full of picture, pulling the photos out.

Esme and I making cookies.

Carlisle and I in his study.

Alice, Rosalie, and I all dressed up.

Emmett, Jasper, and I in the snow.

Parker and I, with his arm around my waist.

These would probably be the most I would see of my family for a long time. I knew this was all my fault… All of it. Jasper was right… Melissa should have never stuck around.

I slid to the floor of the bathroom, my eyes stinging with the tears that could no longer fall.

**-oOo-**

**What will Alex's future in the Volturi hold? You'll have to wait and see…**


	17. Losing It

**Author's Note: I do not own Twilight. Twilight and all of the characters are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. **

**IWonderWhatIShouldBeCalled, caseyrn12, immortalroxtar, Dominique Weasley, Cloudy Night, and emmettlover4everandalways are pretty amazing people. THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!**

**Yes… this update is late, but between rehearsals and tests and NFL playoffs and writer's block… I've been pretty darn busy. **

**So, when I heard about SOPA earlier in the week, I flipped out and was planning to start writing and updating LIKE CRAZY. HOWEVER, it's been delayed :D So now I don't have to panic… yet.**

**chapter 17**

**september 6th, 2013**

**-oOo-**

_You have stolen all my senses_

_There's a fever in my heart_

_And you are taking my defenses_

_You are pulling me apart_

_Forever young and we are dying_

_And we will be spilling all our blood_

_So I will take away my feelings_

_I will be an animal_

-Ellie Goulding, _Animal_

After Melissa and I were left in the room by Jane, nobody came to speak to us for the rest of the night. I remained curled up on the floor of the bathroom, clutching the pendant around my neck in my hand. The pictures I brought with me were scattered across the floor. On my left wrist sat the two bracelets, Parker's bracelet and my charm bracelet. These things were the only pieces of my family that I could keep.

I wondered about Carlisle and Esme. When Felix and Demetri took them out of the throne room, did they just leave them in the alley with the small bags they brought? What did Carlisle and Esme do? Did they run to an airport to book the next flight home?

There was no doubt in my mind that Alice had no blind spots, and I'm sure she saw them coming back… just the two of them. I couldn't even imagine how she was going to tell everyone that it was just Carlisle and Esme returning.

I stood up from the floor, picking up the photos and putting them back in the plastic bag. I felt sick… mentally and physically.

When I placed the bag back in my duffel, I remembered something. It was wishful thinking, but I dug through my bag in search for my phone. I knew that the Volturi had probably confiscated it, but I still had a faint hope that it was still there. I didn't want anything more right now then to be able to call home and just _talk_ to the family. Even if I couldn't do that, sending a text message would have been better than nothing.

I wasn't really sure how long I was in the bathroom, so I opened the door and walked out into the main room. A grandfather clock was in the room, and it said that it was close to five in the morning. I noticed that there were floor-length curtains close to the bathroom door, and I strode over to them. Pulling them aside, they revealed a set of French doors. I pushed them open and it led to a small balcony.

It was still pitch-black out, but I could see everything clearly. The balcony had an excellent view of the entire city of Volterra, and if I looked to the left I could see the majority of the castle. There were stars in the sky and a slight breeze blew, ruffling my hair. If the situation I was in was different, I would enjoy the beauty of all this.

I looked towards the ground. If I tried, I could jump and run like hell from here. The jump wouldn't kill me. I could just run and run, never looking back as I ran towards home and my family-

I heard an electronic buzzing to my right, so I glanced up and saw a little red light… A little red light on top of a security camera.

I swore under my breath. Even if I tried to escape, the guard would find out and they'd all be after me. Sighing, I opened the doors and walked back inside the room.

I saw something moving in one of the beds, and I crouched defensively until I realized it was Melissa. I had almost forgotten she was here.

"I can't sleep," she mumbled.

"Of course you can't," I muttered. "You're a vampire."

"W-What? Vampires don't sleep?" she asked.

"No," I told her. "You'll never be sleeping again."

She whimpered. "I don't like this. I don't like this at all."

"Don't like what?" I asked.

"I don't wanna be a vampire!" she whined.

"Tough luck," I sighed. "There's nothing we can do about that."

I couldn't help but feel bad for her, even though I didn't sound like I was. She wasn't expecting any of this to happen to her, and none of this was her choice… being thrust into my family's life, being found by the Volturi, and being held captive in this castle. Now she was going to probably be _killed_ because of something she didn't have any control over.

Melissa jumped out of bed and landed a few feet away from me. "I don't have anything to do. I'm bored."

A dark mahogany cabinet sat against the far wall, near the coffee table. I dashed over to it and opened it. A small television sat inside.

Melissa let out a delighted squeal and ran over to the couch, flopping herself down on it. I tossed her the remote that was inside the cabinet, and she caught it, pressing the power button. The screen came to life, showcasing a program that was in Italian.

Melissa frowned, and then flipped through more channels. Every single show on TV was in Italian.

"I don't understand any of this," she said.

"I'm sorry about that, but we _are_ in Italy," I replied.

Melissa curled her legs up against her chest. I didn't know what to tell her… I didn't have anything for her to do.

I really had no choice but to leave her alone on the couch. I walked back into the bathroom and grabbed a spare pair of clothes out of my duffel to change into, seeing as I've been in this outfit for about a day now. After doing so, I waited a few minutes before I went back into the main room. I was afraid to face Melissa, and see her small form curled up into a ball.

When I got there, Melissa was standing by the couch, pouting.

"Can I ask you something?" she said.

I nodded once.

Her lip quivered. "Why do you hate me? You and the blonde boy with the curly hair that was at your house don't like me. I can see it in your eyes. He wanted me to go away. He said I couldn't stay there, and then _you_ had to take me away. Then I got burned by the nasty girl.

"The one pretty lady that was at your house, she tried to get me to be able to stay, but the blonde boy said no… _She_ seemed to like me. _She_ seemed to care about me… She seemed like a mom. I can't remember my mom, but I feel like the pretty woman would be like my mom. Why can't _you_ be nice like a mom would? I know I'm against the law and all that stuff you told me… but why can't you like me, anyway? You're always so mean to me. You ignored me yesterday when I said something, then you hid from me in the _stupid_ bathroom! Why do you hate me?"

I took a step back, shocked at how menacing this little nine year old seemed. She dashed over to the coffee table were the vase was, picking it up and chucking it at me. Instinctively I covered my face with my arms, but then I realized that the glass couldn't harm me. It collided with my arms and shattered, falling to the floor. Water went all over me and the carpet, and the white roses laid in a heap of broken glass.

I bent down and picked up the flowers off the floor. Melissa was breathing heavily, her small fists clenched at her sides.

"I don't hate you, Melissa," I whispered, then retreated to the bathroom once more. I placed the roses on the counter and changed into my only other pair of clothes I had. I hoped that if I hung the wet clothes over the side on the bathtub that they would dry.

I stared at myself in the mirror for a long time before picking up the roses once more. It pained me to look at them because they only conjured up memories of Rosalie. God, how I missed my older sister…

I slid my fingers across one of the soft, silky petals before tearing every single one off of each flower.

"I'm sorry, Rosalie," I whispered. This was her flower. It represented her… I felt like I owed her an apology when I tore them apart, even though she couldn't hear it…

Or could she? Could Alice be monitoring my future _right now_? Could she be constantly updating everyone on how I was doing and what I was doing? I hoped so. I may have lost touch with her, but she hadn't lost touch with me.

I was afraid that Melissa was still angry with me, but I walked back out into the room anyway to see if I could make amends. When I got there, I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Good morning, Alex!" Aro said cheerfully. He was there, along with Jane, his personal shield Renata, and Xavier. Xavier had his hand around Melissa's tiny arm.

"I heard some sort of commotion, and I just _had_ to investigate," he told me, then looked down at the glass that was still on the floor. "It seems as if this is the vase that was on the table. Whatever happened to it?"

He looked back at me, but I didn't say anything, just letting my eyes drift to the pile of glass on the floor. In the blink of an eye, Aro snatched up my hand.

After a few moments, he said, "My, what a temper little Melissa has."

He released my hand and crouched down in front of Melissa so he was at her eye level.

"Now, dear, why on Earth did you throw the vase at Alex?" he inquired.

Her lip trembled, but she did not answer him. Aro gave one look at Jane, and Melissa was screaming and writhing on the floor.

It took all of my self-control not to cry out and beg Jane to stop. I cared about Melissa, I really did, but Aro would make trouble if I voiced my feelings.

Aro snapped his fingers, and Jane ceased to use her power. Melissa began to calm down as Aro said, "Now, please enlighten me as to why you threw the vase at dear Alex."

"I was angry," she whispered.

"Ah, yes, it seems to me you were," Aro murmured. "Now, this is exactly one of the reasons that immortal children, such as yourself, are not to be created."

Melissa stared at him, as his face grew dark.

"You have no _control_," he spat, enunciating every word.

He got back up from the ground and turned to face me once more. "Well, now that we have that problem solved… It seems to me, Alex, that we have not given you and Melissa the official tour of the castle. We will be back close to noon to give you the tour."

With that, he, Jane, Renata, and Xavier strolled out of the room.

"Why didn't you defend me?" Melissa asked after a few moments.

"I… I… I just couldn't…" I whispered.

She sighed. "Do you really not hate me?"

I gave her a small smile. "Really."

"Hm," she said. "That's the first time I've ever seen you smile."

-oOo-

Aro showed up, just as promised, at noon. This time, though, he brought different people with him. Renata and Xavier were there, but the red-head Francesca came along with a boy who looked to be about Melissa's age. He had short, chocolate-brown hair and… wow. _His eyes_. They were bright and a brilliant shade of blue-green. He had a heartbeat, and when I listened closely, it sounded like a hummingbird in his chest. I tried not to gasp out loud.

The boy was a hybrid.

Melissa looked at him with a curious glance, tilting her head to the side like a bird. She studied him, but did not attack. I was surprised, seeing as she tried to run after Nessie's scent when she caught a whiff of it.

"I don't believe you've met this young fellow, Alex," Aro said, gesturing towards the boy. "This is Belvedere."

"Pleasure to meet you, ma'am," he said to me.

I gave him a nod in reply, just kind of surprised to be seeing him. Why was he _here_, in Volterra?

"I have a feeling you've already figured out what he is?" Aro asked me.

"Yes," I said simply.

"You should speak with Alex sometime, Belvedere," Aro said to him. "She's met _plenty_ of hybrids like you."

Nessie and Parker came into my mind, making my chest hurt, but then I looked at Belvedere. He had a look of pure excitement on his face.

Aro clapped his hands together. "Well, come along Alex. Xavier, grab Melissa. We've got a tour to do."

Aro led us around the entire castle. He showed us all of the guest rooms, along with the extensive library, kitchens, and then took us down to the dungeons.

"Carlisle and Esme would be familiar with these, wouldn't they Alex?" Aro taunted.

It took most of my self-control not to lunge at him.

After that, Aro led us up a few floors to a large set of double doors. He opened them and they led to another set of doors.

"Now, only Renata and Alex come with me, please," he said.

I followed behind me and opened one of the doors. Inside were a set of large vampires who were standing by the doors. Aro nodded at all of them, and they nodded back.

There was a little parlor in the room, and in two chairs sat a pair of vampire women.

"Sulpicia, dear. Athenodora," Aro said with a warm smile.

"Hello, love," the woman named Sulpicia said, rising to give Aro a kiss on the cheek. Was she his _wife_?

"Sulpicia, Athenodora, this is Alex, the newest member of our guard," Aro told them. "Alex, this is my wife Sulpicia and Athenodora, Caius's wife."

I figured I would probably get in the most trouble if I disrespected the wives, so I acted polite, giving the two of them a small bow.

"It's nice to meet you two," I said quietly.

"It's wonderful to meet you as well, dear," Sulpicia said to me with a genuine smile.

"My, aren't you a lovely young woman?" Athenodora added, rising to stand next to Sulpicia.

"Your hair is such a beautiful color," Sulpicia murmured, running her fingers through it. "Is this a natural color?"

"Yes ma'am," I said.

"You are just so polite," Athenodora said with a little laugh. "You've found a real gem here, Aro."

"Yes I have," he said with a chuckle that made me want to be sick. "Well, we better be going. We'll see you ladies soon."

They both smiled at me. "Come back anytime, dear," Sulpicia said.

I nodded and gave them a small smile.

We walked out of the room, past the set of guards, and met back with Melissa, Xavier, Francesca, and Belvedere.

"Hm, I think we should head back to the throne room," Aro said, and that's exactly where we went.

Aro pushed open the larger doors and walked right to his prized seat. Xavier gave Melissa a shove and took her over to the side.

"Alex, please stand next to Alec," Aro said.

I did as I was told. Jane was to the left of Caius, and Alec was to the left of her. Jane glared at me as I walked towards her, and I glared right back.

I was wondering why Aro was making me stand here, but my question was answered when the throne room doors flew open.

"Welcome back, Heidi," Aro said cheerfully.

_Heidi_. I remember that Edward had mentioned her name to me, which only meant…

Oh no.

Heidi strolled in, a vampire with looks that could rival Rosalie's. I still thought Rose was prettier, though. Behind Heidi was a group of… forty humans.

Forty heartbeats pounded in my ears.

There was nothing else in the room at this point. The only thing I sensed was the pounding of heartbeats. My ears locked onto one.

My mouth was attached to a throat the next second and I drank the sweet ambrosia that was human blood. It was sweet and satisfying and wonderful and I loved it, but…

Then came the realization of what I had done…

…and the screams of humans dying…

…and the regret.

I looked down at the lifeless body I held in my hands. A girl who looked about my age, with hair as black as midnight and a neck stained with red. I dropped her and backed away until I was pressed against the cold stone walls of the throne room. I cut off my unnecessary breaths. I would not breathe in these scents anymore.

I would not see another human dies because of me.

Sadly, this scene was quick. The humans were killed in a matter of minutes, and I was in a room of satisfied vampires with ruby eyes.

Mine, sadly, were the same.

I noticed, out of the corner of my eye that the wives were exiting the room with their entourage of guards. When had they gotten here?

I spun and looked at Aro, who was smiling at me.

"Oh, what a shame," he said. "I thought I saw a hint of gold flecks forming in your eyes, but now I think they're gone."

I hated him. I hated him so much.

Aro zoomed forward and grabbed my hand.

"Francesca and Xavier, take Alex and Melissa back to their room, please," he said, still holding my hand. "I'm done with them for the day."

Francesca simply nodded and walked towards me. I was wondering if she ever spoke, seeing as she hasn't said a word since I've been here. Well, Xavier hasn't said anything either, so I guess it's not that strange.

"Oh, yes, thank you for bringing up that point, Alex," Aro muttered, releasing my hand. "Francesca doesn't speak because she is mute."

Francesca grabbed my arm and pulled me along as Xavier took a hold of Melissa's arm once more. Francesca guided us out of the throne room. They took us back to our room and shut the door.

Melissa gasped before I even had time to think.

"I remember something about myself!" she said.

I glanced at her. "What do you remember?"

"My last name!" she said excitedly. "I remember my last name."

"Well, spit it out," I muttered. "What is it?"

"Platt," she said. "My last name is Platt."

**-oOo-**

**Duh duh DUH! Cliffhanger! What, you may be asking? How is that possible, you may be wondering? Is it a coincidence, you may be thinking? Well… All will be revealed as the story continues… PLEASE REVIEW! **


	18. Marcella

**Author's Note: I do not own Twilight. Twilight and all of the characters are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. **

**Thanks to my reviewers caseyrn12, IWonderWhatIShouldBeCalled, immortalroxtar, CloudyNight, and Victoria cellun29 for being great! We're almost at 100 reviews… AHHHH!**

**You're probably wondering why this chapter has the name that it does… Well, good.**

**HERE COMES… THE LATEST BOMBSHELL!**

_Here comes the latest heartbreak line_

_Straight for the weakness he goes…_

_The latest heartbreak line_

_Well this one was meant for you_

-22-20's, _Latest Heartbreak_

chapter 18

september 7th, 2013

-oOo-

Aro didn't call for Melissa and me for the rest of that dreaded day, and for that I was grateful. It gave me some time to try and calm all the thoughts that were swirling around in my mind.

I was in agony. I killed an innocent human… Aro had planned it that way, I'm sure. He took us on the tour of the castle just so he could bring us into the throne room at the same time that Heidi was coming in with all of those humans.

God, I tried to keep myself in control. The blood's aroma, though, was so intoxicating… but I tried not to dwell on those thoughts.

Pushing those towards the back of my mind brought what Melissa told me yesterday into full focus. _Platt_. I repeated the name in my head. _Platt. PLATT_. Esme's maiden name before she married Charles, and later Carlisle. Could Melissa, somehow, be _related_ to Esme? Esme was an only child, though. Did she maybe have a cousin that kept up a long line of Platts, and maybe Melissa was related to Esme in that way? Or maybe it was just a coincidence… Maybe Melissa wasn't related to Esme at all.

It was driving me crazy, wishing that Melissa remembered more about herself. Maybe more information about her past would pop up in her mind intermittently, like her last name did. I could only hope…

It was nine in the morning when someone came knocking on the door of the room. Melissa managed to try and watch the Italian programs on television. Throughout the night, she learned bits and pieces of the language, occasionally repeating a phrase she heard. When the knock came at the door, she sat up where she was seated on the couch. I had been sitting on one of the beds trying to interpret the programs myself, so I got up and answered the door.

Xavier was standing there, and as soon as the door opened he said, "I am here to escort you to the throne room. Aro wishes to speak with you two… Immediately."

Melissa and I shared a glance. Xavier, obviously upset with our lack of movement, walked right over to the couch and snatched Melissa up like he usually did.

"Follow me," he said, and I did as I was told.

He quickly led us through the halls, and although I had no trouble keeping up, I would have liked to walk at a more leisurely pace. No one else seemed to be roaming the castle, and it was eerie in a sense. Usually we would pass at least one other member of the guard.

Xavier pushed open the throne room doors when we reached them, and besides the wives and their guard, _everyone_ was here. I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"Good morning, Alex!" Aro said with a sickeningly-sweet smile. "Good morning, Melissa!"

"Hello, Aro," I muttered.

"Xavier, if you don't mind…" Aro murmured.

Xavier gave a little nod, and brought Melissa towards Aro. She looked back at me with a terrified expression.

"Hello, little Melissa," Aro said.

"H-hello," she replied nervously.

"You seem afraid, my dear," he said, and it thoroughly pissed me off. Of _course_ she was afraid, being held here like a prisoner. "What is wrong?"

She was quiet, surely scared to speak. Instead of letting her answer, Aro grabbed her hand and plunged into her mind.

"Oh, I see," he murmured after a few moments. "You're afraid of being burnt again."

Melissa nodded once, and Aro chuckled.

"Don't worry. Jane won't hurt you again," he said to her with a smile, then turned to look at Jane. "Will you, Jane?"

Jane gave an evil smile back. "No, master, I will not."

I wanted to punch her right in her pale little face.

Aro turned back to look at Melissa and dropped her hand.

"So, you remembered your last name, huh?" Aro asked her. She nodded once more. "Do you remember anything else about yourself?"

That was a stupid question. He read her mind… He should _know_ that she doesn't remember anything else.

"N-no," Melissa answered.

"Hmm…" Aro murmured. "Well, let's see if we can do something about that…"

What did he mean by _that_?

Aro glanced at Xavier, and he smiled. Suddenly, Melissa fell to the floor. I almost fell to the ground myself. In that very instant, I knew what Xavier's power was.

Memory manipulation… Just like Jonathan.

Aro smiled at me. "You seem to recognize what's going on… Well, you should, really, seeing as it's happened to you."

I clenched my fists tightly, resisting the urge to let the growl building in my chest escape.

Xavier picked up Melissa's little body, holding it in in his arms.

"I wonder when she'll open her eyes," Aro pondered. "Oh, why don't I just ask you, Alex? How long did it take you to wake up?"

"How should I know?" I snarled. "I was _unconscious_."

"Temper, temper…" Aro warned, clicking his tongue. "Watch yourself, my dear."

Melissa started to stir, and Xavier quickly put her on the ground. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, then looked up. When her gaze landed upon Xavier's face, she let out a terrified scream.

She tried to run from him, but he snatched her up so quickly she couldn't get anywhere.

"No, no, no! Let me go!" she shrieked. "You're not gonna do that to me again!"

As she struggled and kicked in Xavier's grasp, Aro said, "Miss Marcella Esme Platt, calm down, please. You're embarrassing yourself."

My whole world seemed to come to a halt. Did her really just say…

"Marcella Esme Platt?" I screamed. "What the heck?"

"Why, that's her name, Alex," Aro murmured. "This is Marcella Platt. Daughter of Emily Platt, granddaughter of Patricia Platt, great-granddaughter of Carolyn Platt, and not the niece… not the grand-niece, but the great-niece of… you guessed it. Esme Anne Platt."

I was at a loss for words. "But… But… No. This… This isn't possible. Esme was an only child!"

"Or so you all thought…" Aro said. "But alas, when Esme's dear parents found out that their only daughter was dead and gone, they wanted a do-over. Thus so, Carolyn Jean Platt was born in 1921. She gave birth to her daughter Patricia Marie, as a single mother, in 1948. Patricia, who I believe still lives in Pennsylvania, gave birth to Emily Anne in 1975. Emily was a free spirit, and traveled to Italy, where she met her husband. She gave birth to lovely little Marcella Esme here in 2004.

"Unfortunately, in 2006 Marcella's father passed away, so Emily raised Marcella all by herself. She taught Marcella English, and some Italian because she home-schooled her. Emily was planning on moving back to America when Marcella was older, but tragedy struck just a few months ago…

"Emily was home with Marcella when a vampire attacked them. Emily, unfortunately, did not survive, but Marcella was turned into a vampire. The vampire wandered away from the scene, only to be found by our guard. We killed the vampire, because he broke the law by creating an immortal child, but we kept Marcella-"

"So you could take me away from my family!" I shouted.

Aro chuckled. "Marcella was kept here until the right time, when she was flown by Xavier, Jane, Alec, Felix, and Demetri to America. Xavier erased her memory, then ran back here- he's extraordinarily fast, you should see him- as Jane kept an eye on Marcella. When Marcella crossed paths with you, Jane intervened."

"This was all a ploy to get me!" I screamed. "You just kept Meli… Marcella alive just so you could use her for your plan until you didn't need her anymore!"

Aro ignored me and turned to look at Marcella. "Dear, you know what I realized? Alex is your adoptive cousin two-generations removed! Her _mother_ is Esme! You're family!"

Marcella looked at me. "Alex, I'm sorry. So, so, sorry! I had no idea!"

"It's not your fault-" I began, before Aro interrupted me.

"Marcella, it's time for you to say goodbye to Alex," he muttered. "She'll be staying here, _permanently_, but you'll be going."

He was going to kill her. Oh god, _he was going to kill her_.

Marcella gave me a pained smile and said, "Say hi to Great-Aunt Esme for me, Alex."

With that, Xavier reached forward… and Melissa's head disconnected from her body. He released it from his grasp and it fell to the floor with a clunk.

I gritted my teeth and felt the stinging in my eyes from the tears I couldn't shed.

"How could you?" I said to Aro.

He shrugged. "She was going to die eventually."

I growled. "You used her as a pawn just to steal me away… to toy with the emotions of myself and my family."

He nonchalantly shrugged again.

"This is overstepping your boundaries, Aro!" I shouted. "You have no right to keep me here like this!"

"Oh, but I can," he said, "and I will."

"This can be protested!" I yelled. "Once vampires all over the world know what a cruel, selfish, and tyrannical leader you are, they'll revolt- whether it's against _your_ laws or not!"

Aro laughed. "Do you really think they'll have any chance of defeating us? The Volturi? We are known and _feared_ for our powerful guard."

"If all the vampires in the world get together, then they'll have no problem taking you down!" I spat.

"Ah, but do you think it would be even possible for you to gather every single vampire in existence to fight for your cause?" Aro asked. "No one would join you."

"I would have supporters," I said, crossing my arms.

"Oh really? Who? Your _family_?" Aro sneered. "Now dear, even if you wanted to lead your coven on this suicide mission you've dreamt up, you would never be able to coordinate with them. The moment they stepped foot in Volterra, they would be killed instantaneously, and you know you're never going to step foot _outside_ of Volterra unless you're heavily guarded. So face it, Alex. You have no chance of defeating us and getting out of here to be with your family, so you might as well give up hope now."

Nostrils flared, I lunged forward at Aro. I heard a chorus of hisses, and then I was burning under Jane's power. I fell to the ground and when the pain finally went away, I was looking into the face of Alec. Then a fog drifted over me and I fell into a dark nothing, my senses stolen away.

**-oOo-**

**I'm sorry that Melissa's dead, but like Aro said… she was going to be killed all along :'(**

**PLEASE REVIEW! I'd love to hear what you're thinking right now!**


	19. Threats

**Author's Note: I do not own Twilight. Twilight and all of the characters are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**AHHHHHHHH! 100 REVIEWS! YAY! You guys are amazing! Thanks to caseyrn12, IWonderWhatIShouldBeCalled, immortalroxtar, emmettlover4everandalways, Victoria cellun29, CloudyNight, Dominique Weasley, and my new reviewer JB'sVampire! Seeing a review from you guys in my email inbox always brightens my day! **

**Ah, sorry! This update is OVERDUE. I wasn't feeling well last week so, sorry, it took me a little longer to write. Hopefully you'll like this update!**

**This chapter is starting off a little differently… You'll see why.**

**-oOo-**

She had been watching. She had been observing ever since she got the opportunity, and she couldn't let her guard down. Everything she saw was important.

When there was any sign of trouble, she watched from afar. Really, she was _always_ watching… when she could. She never liked what she was seeing, but she kept watching because she knew it was important… and she wanted to observe, anyway.

She was watching the day that Alex and the girl, whose name turned out to be Marcella, were called into the throne room of the castle in Volterra. She saw _everything_. She saw the yelling and she saw the killing.

She witnessed this new information, and she was infuriated. All that was thought to be true _was_ true, as much as she hoped it wouldn't be.

When she heard the information from Aro about Marcella's past in her visions, Alice Cullen flipped over the coffee table in her family's living room.

"Alice, what did you see?" Jasper and Parker asked simultaneously.

"What's wrong?" Carlisle questioned.

Alice let out a bitter laugh. "Alex was right. Aro used the child to take her into the guard."

Her family was silent.

"Oh, Esme," she whispered. "There's so much you didn't know."

"What do you mean, Alice?" she asked quietly.

Alice held back a dry sob. "Melissa, the immortal child… her real name was Marcella."

She paused before she finished, looking directly at Esme.

"Her name was Marcella Esme Platt. She was your great-niece, Esme… and now she's dead."

**-oOo-**

chapter 19

september 8th, 2013

-oOo-

_And who do you think you are? _

_Runnin' 'round leaving scars_

_Collecting your jar of hearts_

_And tearing love apart_

_You're gonna catch a cold_

_From the ice inside your soul_

_-_Christina Perri_, Jar of Hearts_

**-oOo-**

When I finally started to hear the ticking of a clock, I sprang up into a crouch from where I was. My feet sunk into the ground, and when I looked down I was on one of the beds in my room.

I was alone.

All of my senses were back online, but that still brought back the ache in my chest. Poor, poor Melissa… or I guess I can't say that. Poor Marcella…

Marcella Esme Platt. Such a pretty name. It was obvious that it was inspired by Esme's name.

Esme. My chest hurt even more now. Carlisle. Parker. Rosalie. Emmett. Alice. Jasper. Edward. Bella. Nessie. I felt as if I was going to be sick. It seemed that I was now a permanent member of the Volturi guard… and I would never be allowed to see them again. It wasn't fair! I did nothing wrong! Aro was only keeping me here for his own personal gain.

I slowly climbed off the bed and paced over to the grandfather clock. It said that it was two in the morning. God, how strong of a blast did Alec hit me with?

My chest continued to ache. I plodded to the bathroom to change into the clothes I came here in, seeing as I had no other outfits to change into.

I gazed into the mirror. My eyes were still a bright red from the couple of days before. There were no dark circles around my eyes, but I knew there soon would be. If Aro didn't let me hunt animals, then I wouldn't be hunting at all. I would grow weak and be useless, and then Aro would probably come to his senses and let me hunt the way I wanted.

I refused to hunt humans.

Since I didn't have any more outfits, I just threw on the one I wore from home… I wished I was home right now.

When rummaging through my duffel, I found my photos once more. I knew that looking at them wouldn't be any good for me, yet I found myself pulling them out of their plastic bag.

I was afraid that this would be all that I saw of my family for the rest of my life. I'm sure Alice saw all that unraveled in the throne room yesterday, and she would know how deadly it would be to try to send anyone to see me. I wanted to run home. I wanted to try and get back to my family, but I couldn't. I wanted to try _so badly_…

I placed the photos back into the plastic baggie and put it at the bottom of my duffel, then grabbed the pendant of my family's crest. I hooked it around my neck and stuck it underneath my shirt. Feeling the metal against my skin comforted me, in a way.

I kept my charm bracelet and the bracelet from Parker in my bag, and then paced out into the bedroom. When I got there, I froze in my tracks.

Aro and Renata were standing there, waiting for me.

I growled. "I _thought_ I locked the-"

"Are you really that naïve, my dear?" Aro asked with a chuckle. "This is my castle. I have a key to everything."

I crossed my arms. "What do you want, Aro?"

"First of all, you will speak to me with more respect," he muttered. "Secondly, you are an official member of this guard and will refer to myself, Caius, and Marcus as master. Do you understand?"

I glared at him, not responding.

Suddenly, his hand was on my throat. He gripped it tightly and tossed me to the floor.

"I said do you understand me?" he bellowed.

"Yes _master_," I spat, picking myself off of the floor.

"Now, I am here to deliver this," he said, gesturing to my bed. Sitting on top of it were several pieces of clothing, shoes, and cloaks.

"This is your new wardrobe!" Aro said cheerfully. "You will be wearing these from now on, and when you need them washed just notify the maids and your new wardrobe will be clean once more!"

I did not answer him, merely glancing over to the bed and taking in all the… black clothes.

"Oh, and one more thing…" Aro murmured, reaching inside of his cloak. He pulled out a pendant in the shape of a V- the Volturi crest.

"This is yours, since you are now a guard member," Aro said. "So, you won't be needing this."

He was referring to my family crest. He grabbed the chain around my neck, yanking it off in one pull and snapping it in the process.

"Hey!" I shouted, trying to steal the pendant back from him. "That is _my_ family's pendant. Give it back!"

Aro laughed. "Silly Alex! The Volturi is your family now, and therefore you will wear _our_ crest."

He clipped the V pendant around my neck.

"Excellent," he said. "That is worn at all times, over your cloak. Now, go ahead and change, dear. As soon as you are ready, you are needed in the throne room."

He walked towards the door, Renata following him like a stupid, obedient little puppy.

"See you shortly, Alex!" Aro said cheerfully, leaving with Renata and shutting the door.

When I believed they were out of earshot, I whispered, "The Volturi will never be my family."

I sighed and looked at my new clothes once more. There were seven plain black t-shirts, four pairs of black jeans, four pairs of cool black pants with a ton of zipper-pockets, three pairs of black shorts, and two pairs of black dress pants. When I moved aside the dress pants, there were two black skirts, three pairs of black tights, and two pairs of white tights. They seemed to be the only thing that wasn't black.

I picked up the robes and two plain black dresses- one with short sleeves and one with long sleeves- were beneath them. Looks like Aro wanted me to have clothes for every occasion.

Only three pairs of shoes were on the bed: a pair of black sneakers, black heels, and black flats. Lovely.

I dashed over to my closet, grabbed all the hangers, placed my clothes on them, and hung them back up. I did all this in less than a minute. Thank god for vampire speed.

When I shut the closet after picking out what I was going to wear, I saw a little dresser sitting in the corner of it. Pulling open one of the drawers, I found… undergarments. Did Aro put those there when I was in the bathroom? I studied them, and they were all in my sizes. _Ugh_. I didn't even want to think about Aro probing my mind for _that_ information.

I decided to throw on one of the black t-shirts, a pair of black jeans, and the black sneakers. I slipped on one of the cloaks, and when I felt the garment slide across my skin I knew they were silk robes. I could thank Alice for that tidbit of information.

The robes had pockets on the inside of them. That explains how Aro had pulled the Volturi pendant out of his robes- he kept it in his pockets.

I bet he was keeping my family's crest pendant in his robes right now.

Sighing, I pulled my hair up into a ponytail, slipped the Volturi crest over top my robes, and headed out to throne room. When I got to end of the hallway that led to my room, Xavier was waiting for me.

"I don't need an escort," I snarled.

He chuckled. "Aro begs to differ."

I shoot him a dirty look after he had turned and began to walk down the hall. Begrudgingly, I followed him.

When we got to the throne room, Aro rose to greet me.

"Well, well, well!" Aro said. "You're fitting into the guard already!"

I scanned the room and noticed, out of the usual people that were here, Felix and Demetri were missing. Where could they be?

"Stand beside Alec," Aro said, sitting back down. Jane was to the left of Caius, and Alec was to the left of her… just like during the feeding.

Caius looked at me. "You better not pull anything funny today."

I smirked. "Of course not, _master_."

His eyes narrowed, and he turned back away. I hated him almost as much as I hated Aro.

Suddenly the throne room doors opened, and in came with Felix and Demetri with a male vampire that I did not recognize. He was holding a small girl, who looked about six, in his arms. Her gaze turned towards the line of thrones…

I stiffened. Her eyes were red.

She was an immortal child.

I instantly had I feeling I knew where this was going.

The man and the little girl seemed scared out of their minds. They must be exhausted, too- who knows what they've been through. Not to mention, it wasn't even three in the morning yet.

"_Parli inglese_?" Aro asked the man.

I didn't have to understand Italian to know that Aro was asking the man if he spoke English.

He nodded, still clutching the girl to his chest, and stammered, "Yes."

"Wonderful," Aro said. "Now _everyone_ here can understand what is going on."

I knew he was referring to me.

"So, please tell me, what is your name?" Aro questioned the man.

"Ettore," he said quietly.

"Excellent, Ettore. Now can you tell me why you are here?" Aro inquired.

"N-no, I do not know, sir," Ettore said.

"You are here, Ettore, because of your daughter," Aro told him.

Ettore quickly glanced at the little girl in his arms, then back to Aro.

"She is an immortal child," Aro continued. "You turned her at too young of an age. Immortal children are against our laws. Surely you knew this."

"No, sir, I did not know!" Ettore pleaded.

Aro rose from his throne and moved towards Ettore in one fluid motion. Ettore seemed to try and pull the little girl farther away from Aro, but that wasn't what Aro was after. He snatched up Ettore's hand and held it for a few moments, reading through all of Ettore's thoughts.

"So she was sick with Leukemia, I see," Aro murmured, "and on the verge of dying."

Ettore seemed shocked that Aro knew this, obviously unaware that Aro could read his mind.

Aro tapped his temple. "Certain vampires have special abilities. My ability is the power to read every thought you've ever had by simply touching your hand."

Ettore looked at his hand, like he had been contaminated by something. In my opinion, I would say he had.

"So your little girl was close to death?" Aro asked.

"Y-yes sir," Ettore stammered. "I had to change her. I just could not lose her like I lost…"

He trailed off. Who could he be talking about?

"You knew Arabella was a free spirit," Aro stated, "yet you still married her."

"I cared for her," Ettore said.

"But did she care about you?" Aro asked. "I would think that if she _really_ cared about you, if she _really_ loved you, then she would not have run off."

Ettore seemed so pained. Aro was a heartless bastard.

I watched as Aro paced back to his throne.

"Our decision in this matter seems to have an obvious answer, doesn't it brothers?" he asked.

Marcus said nothing, like he usually did, and merely nodded.

"Of _course_ it is an obvious answer," Caius sneered.

Aro chuckled. "Very well. Ettore, please give your daughter to Felix."

"No!" Ettore shouted, clutching the little girl to his chest. "Please, no!"

"You do not have a choice," Aro said. "Hand over your daughter."

"No, no, no, _per favore_!" Ettore yelled, so upset that he went back to speaking Italian.

"Oh, I had a feeling things would go this way…" Aro sighed. "Fine. You leave me no choice."

Aro turned to me. "Alex? May I ask you for a favor?"

Oh no.

"Use your ability," Aro commanded. "Make Ettore give his little girl to Felix."

Was he out of his mind? How could I do that? Yes, it was possible, but I couldn't just _make_ this man give up his daughter. It wasn't right.

"I… I can't do that," I said.

Aro laughed. "But of course you can! You have a very strong ability, you know."

"I… It's not right," I whispered.

Aro's smile fell. "You will do as told, Alex."

I looked at Ettore, and he had a panicked expression on his face. The little girl's gaze met mine and she looked… _confused_. She must be. Her father was screaming in terror, and could she understand the English?

"If you do not use your compulsion, then we will leave immediately for Astoria. We will then kill your entire family, and force you to watch," Aro said.

That got my attention. "W-What?" I stammered.

"You heard me," he spat. "Now use your compulsion… or _else_."

I turned back and looked at Ettore, and some of his panic seemed to have gone away.

"What is your family like?" he asked me.

"I have an adopted mother and father, then six adopted siblings, an adopted niece, and my mate, Parker," I told him.

He gave me a small smile. "I understand now… Why you are different."

Suddenly, Aro was grabbing my arm and his face was in mine.

"Have you _forgotten_ what I told you?" he spat.

He gave me a shove and I stumbled forward.

"It's your family's lives on the line," Aro muttered.

I bit my lip and looked at Ettore once more. _I'm sorry_, I mouthed.

There seemed to be a glint of understanding in his eyes as I sent my command.

_Give your daughter to Felix._

Yet, even though there was that bit of understanding, that didn't stop him from letting out cries as his body gave away his daughter and he couldn't stop it.

"No…" he moaned. "_Il mio bambino. Il mio bambino._"

I wish I would have verbalized my command. Then, he wouldn't realize what he was doing and I didn't have to hear his heartbreaking cries.

"Excellent, Alex," Aro murmured. "Your power is just phenomenal."

I felt as if my heart was crushed.

Felix walked towards Aro with the little girl, who was dry sobbing as she was taken away from her father.

"_Parli inglese?_" Aro asked her.

"_No, non parlano inglese_," she stammered.

"Pity," Aro said to no one in particular. Then, he asked her, "What is your name? _Qual __è__ il tuo nome?_"

"Ernesta," she whispered.

Aro let out a little laugh. "Interesting."

What was so interesting about her name?

Aro looked at Demetri. Demetri nodded, and then swiftly ripped off Ettore's head. I let out a gasp as Ernesta let out a scream.

"_Pap__à! Papà!_" she cried, clawing at Felix's arms.

Aro stood up and looked right at Ernesta.

"You are the reason for your father's death, and now you will face the same fate," he said in English. "_Tu sei la ragione per la morte di tuo padre, e ora si dovrà affrontare la stessa sorte._"

He ripped Ernesta's head right off of her body. I let out a strangled cry, and Caius glared at me.

"Felix, Demetri, if you please," Aro said with a wave of his hand. Felix and Demetri picked up the bodies of Ettore and Ernesta then walked out of the throne room.

Caius was in front of me in a second. He raised his hand and then brought it down to slap me across the face.

"You stubborn, ignorant girl!" he shouted. "I told you not to cause any trouble. How dare you disobey that?"

I didn't answer him.

"Chelsea, where are you?" he asked around.

Panic flared in me. I remembered what Edward had told me about Chelsea. Her power was to manipulate relationships. Now Caius was going to have her make me extremely loyal and connected to the Volturi.

The line that Carlisle said to me popped into my head.

_There is nothing stronger than the bonds of a family. _

"Now, now, Caius, there is no need," Aro murmured. "Alex knows that she must be loyal to us, because she knows what will happen if she doesn't. She takes our threats seriously, brother, as she should… because they are not empty promises."

I looked at Aro.

"She knows what will happen to her family if she doesn't obey, so therefore I do not think Chelsea's services are needed at the time. Isn't that right, Alex?"

"Yes… master," I said quietly.

"Well, I am glad we are in agreement," he said. "Now, I think it would be best if you went back to your room. Francesca, will you please take her back?"

I glanced at Francesca and she nodded, walking over to me.

"And while you're at it," Aro murmured, "stay in the room. Keep an eye on Alex."

Francesca nodded once again, then grabbed my arm and led me out of the room.

I thought about everything that had happened since I have gotten here. Melissa was killed because she was a pawn in the game to get to me. I killed an innocent human for their blood. Ernesta and Ettore's deaths were because of me.

I was becoming more of a monster each day.

-**oOo-**

**Wow… I just realized this was a longer chapter than usual. Anyway, in the next chapter we'll be learning more about Francesca.**

**Who guessed the beginning was Alice before it said it?**

**The name Ettore was pronounced online as e-tto-re, but the re was re as in Alistaire... so pronounce it as you wish ;P I CHOSE IT FOR THE MEANING, OKAY?**

**PLEASE REVIEW! :D**


	20. Spotlight

**Author's Note: I do not own Twilight. Twilight and all of the characters are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. **

**I HAVE THE GREATEST REVIEWERS ON THE PLANET! I LOVE JB'sVampire (for more reasons than I can list- you know exactly what I'm talkin' about girlie), immortalroxtar (from being a loyal reader from the beginning), caseyrn12 (for the speed in which your review… it's awesome), IWonderWhatIShouldBeCalled (for saying she hoped I felt better in her review, and now I do), Dominique Weasley (for her extreme want for me to kill off the Volturi… lol), emmettlover4everandalways (for also being one of my loyal readers), Cloudy Night (for her amazing spunk and hilarious reviews), and the mysterious reviewer Aro… who offered me a spot in the Volturi. Seriously. That made my day when I read that. So, Aro, since I can't reply to your review, YOU MADE MY DAY. I hope with all my heart that you will come back to this story and keep reading :) **

_They got one eye watching you_

_One eye, what you do?_

_So be careful who it is you're talking to_

_They got one eye watching you_

_One eye, what you do?_

_So be careful what it is you're tryin' to do_

_And be careful when you're walking into view_

_Just be careful when you're walking into view_

-Coldplay, _Major Minus_

**chapter 20**

**september 10th, 2013**

**-oOo-**

Ever since Aro told Francesca to watch me just two days ago, she hasn't let me out of her sight. I was becoming sick of her. Luckily, though, I hadn't been confined to my room- I got to go explore the massive library, but naturally Francesca was tagging along right behind me.

The library had many, many old novels, but surprisingly they had some title that I had read over the past couple of years. At first I had just merely wandered through the rows and rows of shelves, taking in the sight of the books reaching the ceiling and the smell of old paper. I ran my hands along some of the books' leather spines.

I had tried to truly appreciate the beauty of everything in the library, but then I remembered where I was and the circumstances. The smell of books and the feel of leather were no longer enchanting.

Could Alice see me now? Did it look like I was enjoying myself? Now, because I thought of her and _everything else_, I wasn't. I don't think I ever will be enjoying myself.

Soon I was no longer contempt with staying in the library. I chose several novels that seemed they would be able to keep my attention, and I headed back to my room with Francesca in tow. I had sat down on one of the beds and opened up a copy of _Oliver Twist_. The book had stood out to me in the library because when I saw the title, surprisingly, memories came back to me. When I went to Blue Heron Middle School back in Port Townsend, my school did "_Oliver!"_ as the musical when I was in seventh grade. Soon the classical tunes got stuck in my head.

I read the entire novel in one sitting, becoming immersed in the tale of Oliver, Fagin, the Artful Dodger, and all of the other characters. When I read the last page, I placed the book down next to me and looked at the grandfather clock. It was five minutes after nine. Volterra was nine hours ahead of Astoria, so it was the same day here and there.

I walked out onto the balcony, yet Francesca did not follow me. It was probably because she believed I knew better than to jump off of a balcony guarded by a security camera. I _did_ know better.

It was a beautiful day, minus a few clouds. The air was noticeably beginning to cool down, seeing as it was September, even though the sun was out full blast. That wasn't an issue for this balcony, though. The roof over top of it was blocking all the sun, making it completely shady. _Figures._

I paced back inside, and Francesca was watching me intently. Rolling my eyes, I picked out a black t-shirt and a pair of black jeans from my closet and headed to the bathroom to change my clothes.

I swapped outfits, and then threw my old one down the laundry chute. As I re-hooked the godforsaken Volturi pendant back around my neck, I looked in the mirror and found my hair was slightly disheveled. I reached into my duffel bag in search of my comb, but I first encountered my charm bracelet. I picked that up instead and held it in the palm of my hand. At least Aro hadn't taken _this_ away from me…

I ran my fingers along all of the charms, feeling the metal of the E, B, N… My stomach sank.

What day was it? I had gotten here with Esme, Carlisle, and Marcella… On the fifth of September. I had been here for five days, and that confirmed my fears. Today was September tenth.

Nessie's seventh birthday.

It was like a punch in the gut. I was missing my niece's birthday… again.

The charm bracelet dropped from my hand and landed back in my duffel bag. I slid to the floor, my back against the cabinets below the sink. I couldn't hold in the sobs as my shoulders began to shake. If only there was a way to communicate with her, to tell her that I was sorry-

_Alice._

"Alice, I don't know if you can hear me right now," I whispered, looking up to ceiling as if she was watching right above, "but if you can, will you please tell Nessie what I say?"

I drew in a shaky breath before I continued.

"Just, please, tell her I love her so much," I sobbed, "and that I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I'm missing her birthday again, and I'm sorry that I'm causing her pain. Tell her that she's the best girl in the entire world, and that I'm blessed to have her as my niece. Most of all, tell her I said happy seventh birthday."

I put my head in my hands as a knock came on the bathroom door. It was probably Francesca.

"What do you want?" I spat, getting up and flinging open the door.

She gestured for me to walk back into the bathroom. I crossed my arms and sat on the edge of the counter. She glanced into the main room before shutting the door.

"What could you possibly need that you would have to shut the door?" I asked her.

"I'm sorry you're upset. I do not support what is going on here," she whispered.

I gaped at her, at a loss of words.

She let out a tinkling laugh. "Yes, I'm sure you believed I was mute."

"Well… Um, yeah. I did," I stammered.

She giggled again. "Allow me to properly introduce myself. My full name is Francesca della Ambra. I am of Italian descent, if you had not already determined that, and I was turned at the age of twenty-six."

"The same as…" I stopped, not able to get Esme's name out.

"The same as whom?" Francesca asked.

"My… mother," I whispered, wrapping my arms around myself. My heart ached.

"She was the caramel-haired woman, if I remember correctly?" she inquired.

I nodded weakly.

"She was very protective over you," Francesca said.

I could not help but smile a bit. "That's Esme. She's the sweetest person you'll ever meet, but when her kids are in danger, she'll go all 'mama-bear' in one second flat. It's kind of scary to see her like that, yet it's also funny in a way because it's so unlike her usual nature."

Francesca chuckled. "It is fantastic that you know your mother. My mother died when I was very little, and all I knew was that her name was Ambra. That is where I got my surname from: Francesca della Ambra, or in English it's Francesca daughter of Ambra."

"Oh," I said, my smile falling. "I'm sorry to hear that. Esme's not my real mom, though. She's my adoptive mother. My birth mother had me when she was sixteen, then dropped me off at a foster home and left town. I lived in that foster home in Port Townsend, Washington for thirteen years before…"

"Before what?" Francesca inquired.

"It's a long story," I said.

Francesca grabbed the door handle. "Well, I would really like to hear it. How about we go to the library and get some paper to bring back here so we can communicate? It would be best if I no longer spoke."

"Wait… does anyone else know you're not mute?" I asked quietly.

She shook her head.

"Oh no, but Aro will probably read my thoughts soon, and then he'll see that you're actually not mute and that you don't support-"

Francesca held her finger to my lips in a way to silence me.

"You will not have to worry about him," she said.

"But how?" I questioned.

"I will explain later," she whispered. "Now, let's go to the library."

I nodded and walked ahead of her out of the room so it looked as if she was performing her normal duty, guarding my every move. When I got to the library, I searched the room until I found a roll of paper and a pen.

We went back to the room at a leisurely pace to not draw any extra attention to ourselves. I always got at least one stare or dirty look from a guard member when I roamed through these halls.

We shut the door and locked it behind us, then sat down on the couch. I placed the pen and paper on the table, gesturing for her to write first. She picked up the pen and quickly scribbled down a message.

_**Now, I believe we have time for that "long story" you mentioned,**_ she wrote.

I sighed, but then I gestured for her to wait a moment. I picked up one of the books from the bed and brought it back to the couch with me.

_**We need to look like we're doing**_** something **_**if someone shows up,**_ I wrote.

Francesca smiled.

I then proceeded to scrawl down my life story. I told her how I grew up, how I got to my family, and what followed. All of my family's conflicts and travels since I arrived were documented. Then I told her about everyone in the family, and what everyone was like. Thank goodness this roll of paper was larger, or I would have taken up all of the paper's space with my story.

_**And today was Nessie's seventh birthday,**_ I scribbled down. _**This is the second one I'm missing, and now she won't be aging anymore… **_

__Francesca gestured to the pen, and I gave it to her.

_**So what you're saying,**_ she wrote, _**is that when Belvedere reaches the age of seven, he'll look about seventeen and stop aging completely?**_

__I nodded.

_**Wow. He only has five more years of growth then. What will happen after he turns seven?**_ she asked.

I took the pen. _**I'm not sure. I don't know if Carlisle really knows, either.**_

She nodded, and grabbed the pen. _**You said he was a doctor, right? How does he do it? How does he keep control when he's around all those humans?**_

I looked up into her red eyes, and she looked back at mine. She handed me the pen, and I gladly took it.

_**He has amazing self-control. Superior to most of my entire family. Bella has amazing self-control, too. Both of them have never tasted human blood, but since Carlisle has been around for over four-hundred years and Bella's been around for twenty-five, I'd say his streak is a little more impressive. **_

Francesca giggled, and then gestured to the pen. I handed it to her and she wrote, _**I do adore your family's eye color. The gold is beautiful.**_

I smiled, and she handed me the pen.

_**I'm trying for that color,**_ I scribbled. _**I slipped up, though. Here at the feeding. If I don't drink any more human blood, they could be gold within a couple of months or so. You can try it, too, if you want gold eyes… but that might be hard. I don't know if Aro will ever let me feed… the way I want. **_

Francesca shook her head, and I handed over the pen.

_**As much as I want to,**_ she scrawled, _**I can't. I have to continue to be Aro's perfect little guard member.**_

I nudged her hand and she gave me the pen.

_**What got you here? What power do you have that made Aro want you so much?**_

She gave me a small smile, and I handed her the pen.

_**He likes the power he knows I have,**_ she wrote.

I gave her a confused look.

_**I was found by Felix two years ago, wandering the streets of Volterra,**_ she told me. _**I had only been a newborn for three weeks, and he took me away so I wouldn't attack any humans. I was close to doing so. **_

She sighed before continuing.

_**I was taken to Aro, and when he grabbed my hand he saw nothing…**_

I raised my eyebrows. Did she have a mental shield?

_**I was scared of him, and not able to speak out of pure fear. He asked me what my name was and I could not answer. He could not get any information out of me because he could not read my mind and I did not speak. Finally, he asked me if I was mute, and jumping at the opportunity I nodded.**_

Francesca's face darkened.

_**Jane decided she would test me to see if it was true. When she was burning me alive, I tried my hardest not to make a sound. Luckily, I was successful, and Aro believed me. He asked me if I had a power, and I had figured out days before that I did. You see, I was thinking about the last orphanage I lived in as a child. I wondered what could be going on there, and before I knew it I was looking at the orphanage. I was not **_**physically**_** transported to the orphanage, however. I was in some sort of vision.**_

_** So, I decided I would think about the orphanage again, but I tried to show him. I grabbed his hand and thought about the place, and all of the sudden Aro closed his eyes and fell to the ground.**_

_** The throne room erupted in chaos. I was afraid that I had killed him or harmed him somehow. Suddenly, Felix and Demetri dragged me away from Aro, but something peculiar happened. The second my hand left Aro's, his eyes opened. He stood up and was in awe of what I did. He told everyone what he saw, and said I was no danger to him. Then, he asked me if I remembered the streets of Volterra when I was wandering, and I nodded. He asked me to show him the streets, but first sat down in his throne so he would not fall over.**_

_**I determined that I had the ability to show people what was happening in a certain place at any given moment, and when I was showing them they would slip into a sleep-like state. What is unknown to him, though, is that I never forget what I see. Every vision is like a movie, and I store them away. Anytime I want, I can dwell back on them. **_

_**Aro whispered something to Alec, and Alec left the room. Moments later, he came back with a picture of a female vampire. She was a pretty little thing. Aro handed me the picture, and asked me to show him what she was doing. I studied her picture for a moment, and then I just **_**thought**_** about her.**_

_**I was transported to a room with dull grey walls. The girl was standing, looking into an almost empty closet. For some reason, there was a bright orange string hanging from the**_

I couldn't help but let out a gasp, and Francesca abruptly stopped writing. I leapt over the back of the couch and ran to the bathroom. Rummaging through my duffel bag, I found one picture in particular.

I ran back to Francesca as quickly as I could and snatched up the pen.

_**Is this the girl?**_

I handed her the picture of Rose, Alice, and I all dressed up. She looked right at Alice and her eyes widened.

She took the pen from me and wrote down one simple word.

_**Yes. **_

So if that was the first thing Aro made her see, then that meant she came to the Volturi the same day Carlisle, Esme, Alice, and Edward found me in the Maryland foster home: August second, two-thousand eleven.

_**Did Aro make you watch Alice more than once?**_ I asked.

She wrote the same thing as before. _**Yes.**_

I almost let out an aggravated scream. Aro used Francesca just so he could keep an eye on Alice and, naturally, the rest of the family.

_**When and what did he make you watch?**_ I asked.

_**He didn't make me watch too much at first,**_ she said. _**I've had to watch a lot recently, though. The first time he made me watch after that day, Alice was furious. She was confronting a male vampire and pointing her finger in his face, saying "Don't you dare speak to her like that, scum!" It was almost funny because she was so tiny. I don't know who she was defending, though.**_

I nudged her hand and she gave me the pen.

_**She was defending me.**_

Francesca nodded, and I gave her back the pen.

_**The next time I looked, she was walking hand-in-hand with a blonde boy on a cloudy day, passing a ton of teenagers. I assumed they were going to school.**_

This would be my first day back to school in Astoria. Alice and Jasper must have been walking inside.

_**It was a little less than two years later when Aro made me look again. Alice was in a purple graduation cap and gown, and she was walking across a stage.**_

Graduation day.

_**After that, she was frantically running through a forest and talking on the phone. She said, "Okay. Carlisle, Parker, and I are coming to get you. Just stay where you are."**_

That was the evening I hit a deer with my car.

_**The next one was kind of scary,**_ she told me. _**Alice was sitting on a couch, the same blonde boy rubbing her shoulders. All I could see was them, but in the background I heard awful, high-pitched screaming.**_

She looked at me for a moment, and then continued to write.

_**I think it was you screaming. It sounded like you, when you were tortured by Jane. **_

I gestured to the pen, and she handed it over.

_**It was probably my transformation, then. **_

She nodded, and I gave her the pen once more.

_**The most recent time though, Aro was talking to Jane on the phone. He made me watch Alice. She was standing outside what I believed to be your house, next to a shaggy brown-haired boy. She was watching the blonde boy charge at somebody and…**_

She stopped, just staring at the paper for what seemed like minutes. I tapped her on the shoulder. She looked at me, and then furiously started scribbling down words.

_**I cannot believe I didn't realize it before! The blonde boy… he was charging at you. How could I have not realized that Alice was in your family? I'm sorry. I helped Aro send Marcella towards you, and I helped him drag you here. I'm so sorry. **_

I placed my hand on her arm.

"It wasn't your fault," I whispered, out loud, as quietly as I could. "You didn't know."

Francesca shook her head, and began to write again.

_**You know, after the first time I saw Alice, I was really intrigued.**_

I gave her an inquisitive look, and she gave me the pen.

_**How so?**_ I wrote, giving Francesca the pen back.

_**There was just something about her… I don't know. She seemed so… young, and innocent, even though she did not look too much younger than me. She is probably much older than me, for all I know. Yet, I could not help but wonder about her. What was her life like?**_

_** When I was left alone, I snuck peeks at her. Once she was shopping in some high-end store with a beautiful blonde girl.**_

I tapped her hand, and she passed the pen.

_**That was probably Rosalie,**_ I wrote, _**when she, Alice, Esme, and I went shopping in New York City.**_

She gave me a small smile, and began to write again.

_**It was just little things I saw, like seeing her laugh or play baseball, which made me care for her, in a sense. I cared for her well-being. **_

I took the pen from Francesca. _**Sounds very motherly.**_

_**I guess you could say that,**_ she wrote. _**Sometimes I do wish I had a child of my own.**_

She handed me the pen. _**You would get along well with Rose. That's what she wants… so badly. **_

Francesca smiled. _**Belvedere is the closest I'm ever going to get to have a child.**_

_**Do you take care of him?**_ I asked.

_**I have been,**_ she wrote, _**but not as much recently. Heidi has been watching him, because Aro decided that all of the sudden he'd limit my time with him and I would have to constantly monitor you.**_

_**I'm sorry,**_ I wrote.

She took the pen and patted my hand.

_**Like you said before,**_ she scrawled, _**it is not your fault. It's Aro. **_

_** Aro is the cause for a lot of people's problems,**_ I said.

She let out a little laugh and grabbed the pen. _**You can say that again.**_

I nudged her, and she gave me the pen. _**So, you said Aro chose you for the power he **_**knew**_** you had. What else can you do that he doesn't know about?**_

She gave me a small smile as I handed her the pen. _**Well, Aro cannot see into my mind. Aro tested me with Demetri, and Demetri can't track me. It's strange. Jane and Alec's powers work on me, yet Aro's, Demetri's, and Chelsea's do not. Now, I know you're probably going to ask why I have not left… and it is because of Belvedere. Aro will not let him out of his sight. He's keeping Belvedere here so he can observe him and see how a hybrid grows. It's unfair.**_

She let out a bitter laugh. _**Sorry, I'm rambling. Anyway, no one can get into my mind and no one can track me. That also means that Alice cannot see me in visions… and that means, since I am with you right now, she cannot see you either.**_

_** Now, another part of my power I found out I had when I was watching Belvedere one day. He was not even one yet, and he was playing in one of the gardens. He was running, accidentally knocked over a vase, and broke it. **_

_** Aro called him and me into the throne room, and he was moving towards Belvedere to read his mind to see what really happened with the vase. I was standing off to the side, knowing that Belvedere would most likely be punished for what he did, and I was afraid. So I just stood there and came up with a different scenario of what happened. I made it look like that I was chasing Belvedere and that **_**I**_** accidently knocked over the vase.**_

_** I do not know how it worked, yet it did. Somehow, it penetrated Renata's shield. I was amazed. My made-up story was the one Aro saw, and Belvedere, the clever child, played along beautifully. I had a few fingers ripped off by Aro, but it was worth seeing Belvedere spared in the end.**_

__I looked down at her hands, and they looked flawless.

_**That is why I told you not to worry earlier. I can alter what Aro will see when he reads your mind later. Both of us will be fine. **_

She looked me in the eyes, and handed me the pen.

_**You said Alice cannot see us right now, correct?**_ I asked.

Francesca nodded.

_**Well, can I see her? Can you show me what's going on?**_

She gave me a small smile and held out her hand. I put down the pen, and I placed my hand in hers. In the next second, I was transported.

I was standing in the living room of my house. It was so realistic… It felt like I was home.

Alice darted past me, and I felt like I was about to fall over. I could see her… She was _there_. It wasn't just a picture.

"Now, we'll arrange all the different colored flowers in each vase so everyone looks like a rainbow of colors," she said to everyone in the room.

"And we should tie these streamers together to make them look like rainbows, too?" Esme asked quietly.

"Exactly," Alice said, patting her on the arm.

_Esme_. She was there, too.

"Esme!" I called out. She couldn't hear me, though. I wasn't actually with her, in the same room. I wanted to run to her… I wanted to hug her, to tell her I was alright… but I couldn't. I could not move. I could only watch.

She didn't look well. Her eyes were dull, and she didn't have that happy expression on her face that she usually had. She looked… dead.

Rosalie walked over to Esme, and a lump grew in my throat. "I think Nessie will absolutely adore the present you're getting her."

Esme gave her a small smile, but it looked forced. "You think so?"

"Of course," Rose murmured. "It's a great idea. Nessie will have a part of… her, always with her."

A part of her? Was she talking about me? What gift was Esme giving Nessie?

I couldn't watch this anymore. It made me sick to my stomach, seeing Esme so upset. I admired Rose and Alice, though. They were trying to cheer her up, and I loved them even more for it.

Francesca, seeming to sense my distress, ended the vision.

I stood up and wrapped my arms around myself, shaking my head in an attempt to clear it. I could not get the picture of Esme's face out of my mind.

"I think that's enough for today," Francesca whispered.

**-oOo-**

**Well, that was a very… long glimpse into Francesca's life. Hope you enjoyed the chapter… and the fact that Alex has an ally! **


	21. Messenger

**Author's Note: I do not own Twilight. Twilight and all of the characters are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**A wholehearted thank you to immortalroxtar, Cloudy Night, caseyrn12, xX SomedayMyPrinceWIllCome Xx, IWonderWhatIShouldBeCalled, JB'sVampire, and Dominique Weasley for reviewing!**

**So, the song I chose for this chapter is one of MY FAVORITE SONGS (as of right now… haha). If this story was a movie, the following song would be for its trailer.**

**I'm sorry I've taken SO LONG TO UPDATE! I had a show last weekend (and tech week before that) so I had literally NO TIME to write… but this chapter is nice and long so I hope it makes up for it :) **

_The stars, the moon, they have all been blown out_

_You left me in the dark_

_No dawn, no day, I'm always in this twilight_

_In the shadow of your heart_

_-_Florence + The Machine_, Cosmic Love_

**chapter 21**

**september 15th, 2013**

**-oOo-**

Francesca and I had formed a strong bond over the past couple of days, even though we didn't act like it around everyone else. We agreed it would be best if we pretended we despised each other to hide the fact that we were both against the rest of the guard.

Francesca was almost like a mother to me. Although she could never replace Esme, she was the closest thing to her here. I was still overwhelmed with grief when I thought of my family, but Francesca lessened the pain when she was around. She was the only bright spot.

Later on the day when I really got to know Francesca, she showed me Nessie's birthday party. The wondering about what Esme (and it turns out Carlisle as well) gave Nessie as her present went away.

_Esme handed Nessie a little white box with a lavender ribbon. She undid the bow and took off the lid. A smile spread across her face when she saw what was inside._

"_It's… It's beautiful, Grandma and Grandpa," she murmured, holding up the gift so everyone could see. It was a silver necklace with three charms: an N, a heart, and an A. _

"_Nessie loves Alex," Carlisle said._

"_Even though Alex isn't with us right now, you will still have a little piece of her with you, right by your heart," Esme told her. _

_Nessie looked as if she was tearing up. "It's perfect. I love it. Thank you so much."_

I was overcome with joy and sadness seeing how much my niece cared about me. I was so glad that I was accepted by her, but heartbroken because I wasn't able to _be_ with her on her special day.

In the morning, Francesca was walking with me through the hallways of the castle when Alec approached us.

"Aro, Marcus, and Caius need to speak with us," he told me.

"Us meaning you, Francesca, and me?" I asked.

"Yes," he muttered. "That is why I said _us_."

"Just clarifying," I sneered.

He folded his arms and turned around.

"No matter. Just follow me, please," he said as he began to go back down the hallway.

Francesca and I shared an eye roll, and then followed behind him. When we got to the throne room only Jane, Felix, and Demetri were speaking with Aro. The rest of the guard was gone.

"Ah, there you are Alex and Francesca," Aro said with a smile.

I walked away from Francesca and closer to Aro.

"What can I do for you… master?" I still tripped over the word "master" when I had to call him, Caius, and Marcus that.

Actually, it is what you, Francesca, Jane, Alec, Demetri, and Felix can do for me," he said. "I have an assignment for the six of you."

"And what would that be, master?" Jane inquired.

"There has been some serious newborn activity that is on the verge of attracting too much human attention," Aro told her, "and we're sending you all to... deal with the situation."

"Where is all of this happening?" Demetri asked.

"Texas," Aro said, and then he looked right at me. "Before you get your hopes up my dear, just remember the consequences if you happen to run off and try to visit your family."

I looked away from him and everyone else, knowing that they would be staring at me.

"When will be leaving, master?" Alec asked.

"It would be preferable," Caius said, "if the six of you left immediately."

I glanced at Francesca, and she seemed conflicted. She looked as if she knew she had to go but there was something holding her back. I'm sure it was Belvedere.

My gaze settled back on Aro, and he was studying Francesca intently.

"You seem upset, Francesca," Aro pointed out. "Is it because you are worried about Belvedere?"

Francesca's eyes met his.

"Don't worry... He'll be constantly _monitored_ while you are gone," Aro said.

I was sure the wording of that would upset her, but when I looked at her she had her usual mask of no emotion on her face.

Aro gave her a smile, and I wanted to kick him in the groin... or somewhere else that would hurt.

_Yikes_. Hopefully Aro won't read my mind anytime soon.

"Now, here is the instruction of what we're expecting you to do once in Texas," Aro said. "Identify the leaders. Figure out their intentions, and then kill them. Destroy all of the useless newborns as well, and make sure you clean up the mess afterwards. No one should be spared unless they have a quantifiable ability that will be of great use to us in the near future."

Jane, Alec, Felix, Demetri, and Francesca nodded their heads in understanding, and I had to as well.

"Oh, and Jane?" Aro murmured.

"Yes, master?" she asked.

"I believe that Alex will not be following our diet," Aro told her. "However, she will need to hunt. When you think the time is right, you may let her hunt... but she MUST hunt. She is a member of out guard, and you will not starve her. Understood?"

"Yes, master," Jane said, glancing at me. From the look on her face, I had a feeling I wouldn't be hunting for a while.

"Now, take the private jet," Caius muttered, "and get on with your assignment. Time is of the essence."

The six of us filed out of the throne room. I followed behind Jane and Felix, while Alec, Francesca, and Demetri trailed behind me. I'm sure they wanted to have extra coverage in me in case I tried to pull something and make a break for it. I WOULD try to if my family wouldn't get killed because of it.

After we left the castle and the city, we ran to the private airstrip I arrived at just five days ago. These five days had seemed more like five years.

Demetri immediately went to the front of plane and started the engine. Alec and Felix sat down in the first of the three rows of seats. Jane, before sitting down with them, turned to Francesca.

"Sit with Alex," Jane commanded.

Francesca looked at me, and I narrowed my eyes. She crossed her arms and sat in the second row on the right. Francesca was a pretty good actress, and I was too... if I did say so myself. So, keeping up the act, I left the middle seat empty and sat on the isle seat.

I felt the plane slowly begin to move, and before I knew it we were rising into the air.

"How long is the flight?" I asked no one in particular.

Nobody answered me.

I scoffed. "Wow... It just got really cold in here."

Francesca smiled, but it went away as soon as it came.

In the private jet, it took us about twelve hours to reach Texas. Because of the time change, we arrived there at about ten-thirty in the morning of September fifteenth, central time. That meant it was eight-thirty back home. I wondered about what everyone was doing right now. Did they have any idea how close I was to them? I had a feeling that Alice could not see me because Francesca was here. If she _could_ see me, though, would they be coming after me? I imagined them ambushing us and killing off Jane, Alec, Felix, and Demetri. I would try to spare Francesca, tell them that she was on my side.

Then, I thought about what we would do after that. Surely, Aro would eventually find out that his guard members weren't coming back to Volterra, and he'd send someone after the family. We'd either spend our lives running, or be eventually killed.

At the moment, I kind of hoped that they _didn't_ come after me.

We left the jet and I followed behind Jane, Felix, and Alec. Francesca was running beside me, and Demetri was behind. During the flight, Jane had been reading a slip of paper that she took out of her robes. I wasn't really sure what was on it, but when we arrived at a clearing filled to the brink with vampires, I assumed it had a precise location to go to.

It was like a campground set up. There were numerous tents that were placed all around the area. Some of the vampires were fighting amongst each other.

"Can I help you?" a female vampire spat as she came up to us. She had an oval-shaped face a pointed nose, and piercing ruby eyes. Her midnight-black was straight and cascaded down to her lower back.

Jane smiled at her, and suddenly the female was screaming in agony. Felix was next to me in an instance and was tightly gripping my arm.

"Instruct them to not move at all," he whispered in my ear. "They're not allowed to run."

"Are you crazy?" I asked. "Why can't they go?"

He squeezed my arm tighter. "Think about how close we are to your little coven. Does that change your mind about doing what I say?"

Many of the vampires were alerted by the screams coming from the female. I frowned, and then focused on the gold floating over the heads of all the vampires.

Freeze in your spot. Do not move, I commanded.

All the gold turned to blue. I could see that some vampires were trying to get to the girl Jane was torturing. Confusion flashed across their faces, and the confusion turned to anger. They let out frustrated screams as they were stuck in the very spots they stood.

Jane stopped her attack on the female, and she lay on the ground as she took in shallow breaths.

The clearing fell silent.

"What is your name?" Jane asked her.

"Hadley," she panted. "Hadley Davidson."

"Well, Hadley, did you organize this group of newborns together?"

Hadley didn't answer, and Jane began her torture again.

"Yes, yes, I did!" Hadley screamed.

Jane smiled and stopped. "Good. If you cooperate, then I won't be reduced to using force to get answers out of you."

Felix came over and lifted Hadley off the ground, holding her by the arms.

"Do you know who we are, Hadley?" Jane asked her.

"No, I can't say that I do," Hadley told her. Wow, for knowing what Jane can do, Hadley had some spunk.

"Hm," Jane murmured. "Well, have you heard of the Volturi?"

Hadley's face fell. Jane sensed the fear and smiled.

"Ah, well then if you are familiar with us, then you should know about one of our laws," Jane said. "You are not to expose the existence of vampires to the human population. These newborns are wreaking havoc... so much so that the _Volturi_ is hearing about it. And when a tale of something like this comes to _us_, it is a problem."

Hadley was silent.

"Since you are the one who has _created_ the problem, you are the one who will be punished for it," Jane told her.

Hadley was burned by Jane once more, and Hadley screamed bloody murder.

"Let me ask you something, Hadley," Jane said as she tortured her. "Was what you did worth it?"

Jane looked at Felix, and he swiftly ripped Hadley's head off. I watched in disgust as Demetri pulled out a lighter and set Hadley's body on fire. Some of the vampires had looks of pure horror on their faces, while others were trying to hide smiles. Some weren't even TRYING to hide smiles. It made we wonder what kind of a leader Hadley was if the others were happy to see her go.

Jane stepped forward past the fire. "Now, Felix. It looks like we have a lot of work on our hands."

Some of the vampires immediately realized what she meant. Others didn't. The ones who did tried to run once more, but I still had to use my power, unfortunately, and they couldn't leave.

Felix, Alec, and Demetri stood next to Jane. The four of them descended in a line of black cloaks and took out every single vampire. None were spared...

And I could do nothing but watch.

Apparently, none of these vampires possessed any abilities worth preserving. That or Jane wasn't feeling very merciful today... but when was she ever merciful?

Felix put out the large fire that they created, and there was nothing left of the bodies but ashes. The sky became completely covered with clouds.

Jane led us back to the plane, and then turned to face us.

"Felix, Alec, Demetri, and I need to hunt," Jane told us. "Francesca, you need to watch Alex."

I crossed my arms. When was Francesca going to hunt? Were they just going to let her _starve_?

"When we get back, you will need to monitor Alex," Jane said, "and take her hunting because of her... _special_ diet."

I snorted. _Special diet?_

"I assume you can survive a little longer without hunting," Jane sneered.

With that, she disappeared into the trees and Felix, Demetri, and Alec followed her.

After I'm sure they were out of earshot, I said to Francesca, "She's ridiculous."

Francesca nodded and crossed her arms.

When they got back almost an hour later, they released us to hunt. We ran for about five minutes at top speed, just trying to get away.

"You know," I said, "Francesca, this is the perfect opportunity to try out this diet... I mean, if you want to."

Francesca smiled. "Of course, but you first."

I listened, and I could hear a few heartbeats off to my right. I ran in that direction, and picked up the smell of the four deer. The first one wasn't expecting me, and tackled it to the ground. I took down a second one along with the first. For a second, I was craving the sweet taste of the human blood that I remembered, but I knew that this is what I would have to get used to. The right diet.

When I looked up at Francesca, she had taken down the other two deer.

"You're a natural," I said with a smile. She ran over and gave me a playful shove.

Suddenly, I heard a rustling in the trees. Francesca and I whipped our heads near the sound.

"Who's there?" I called out.

There was no sound. No one answered, but I had a feeling that someone was there.

Francesca nudged me, and I looked at her. She pointed to her crest necklace.

I didn't want to use my position to my advantage, but I wanted to figure out who saw us together.

"We are members of the Volturi. Show yourselves," I demanded.

It was silent for a moment, until two vampires emerged from the trees. One was a male and one was a female, and they both had red eyes like Francesca and I.

The female frowned at me, but her eyes then widened.

"You look familiar," she told me.

I gave her a questioning look.

"Do you know Jasper Hale?" the man asked.

My head quickly turned and looked at him. "You... You know Jasper?"

"Yes," he told me. "Would your name happen to be Alex?"

I nodded.

"I knew I recognized you from the pictures," the female muttered.

I was confused. "I beg your pardon?"

"Allow me to introduce myself," the man said. "My name is Peter, and this is Charlotte."

"This is Francesca," I said, gesturing to her. Our eyes met, and she slowly backed away.

"What... _pictures_ did you see me in?" I asked Peter.

He gave me a small smile. "We were just at your home-"

"You were?" I asked excitedly.

"Yes," Charlotte told me.

"We were paying a visit to our old friend Jasper," Peter told me, "but when we got there..."

"How were they?" I asked. "Was everyone okay?"

"They were all... very different," Peter said. "Sadder... It was a darker mood in the Cullen house. We hadn't been there since before you came along, so we didn't know who you were. They showed us a picture of you, and told us what had occurred and why you had been taken away."

"They miss you terribly," Charlotte murmured.

I gave her a sad smile. "And I miss them."

"Do they know you're in the United States?" Peter inquired.

I frowned. "No… and I can't go to them. The Volturi threatened that if I try, they'll kill them."

Suddenly, an idea struck me.

"You guys can go to them!" I said. "You can go back to their house, tell them that you saw me, and that I miss them and I love so much."

"We can do that," Peter said with a nod.

"But please, be careful!" I told him, grabbing his arm. "If the Volturi found out you talked to me-"

"We'll all be in trouble," he finished.

I frowned. "Pretty much, yeah."

"We'll run straight there," he said.

"Thank you!" I cried. "Thank you so much!"

They both gave me a quick nod before they disappeared into the trees.

"We better be getting back," I said to Francesca.

She nodded. "And don't worry about this… Aro won't see a thing."

I gave her a quick hug, and then we ran back to the private jet. Jane and Alec were waiting for us.

"Why were you gone so long?" Jane asked, crossing her arms.

"I was _hunting_," I told her, trying not to sound panicked. Had she seen or heard something?

"It takes you that long to hunt?" she questioned.

"I was enjoying it," I sneered. "I figured I wouldn't be able to hunt like this for a while."

I should have bit my tongue, because in the next instant I was burning. The sass probably wasn't a good idea.

I writhed in agony on the ground as Jane said, "Oh, look at you. You look pitiful. It would be a shame for your family to see you like this."

She stopped torturing me, and I sat up on the ground.

"Maybe Alec, Felix, and I should pay them a visit..." she murmured. "I can show Edward just how... well you're doing. Then I can have a _chat_ with them."

"You wouldn't dare hurt them," I spat, getting up in her face in a second. She shoved me, which caused me to fly backwards and slam into a tree. There was a dent in the bark as picked myself up and growled at her.

"I'll lay down the rules for them, make sure they know that if they ever try to come and rescue you, we'll kill you," she said.

I lunged at her, and once more she used her power on me.

"Oh yes, Edward is going to enjoy this very much," she said. "And poor Esme, she'll be heartbroken..."

Jane stopped her assault on me.

"Malevolent bitch," I spat through clenched teeth.

I was expecting Jane to attack me again, but she didn't. Instead, my vision disappeared. I couldn't see a thing, yet I could still hear, smell, and feel.

I extended my hands in front of me to try and figure out what could be in front of me, but something slammed into my side and knocked me to the ground.

"_No one_ insults my sister," Alec growled, kicking me in the knees.

He stomped on my stomach and kicked me wherever he could, putting so much power into it that I cried out in pain. I tried to deflect his kicks, but I couldn't see and therefore had no idea which part of me he was going to beat next.

Finally Alec stopped, and he gave me my sight back. I slowly managed to pick myself off the ground and stand.

"And that was the icing on the cake," Jane said with a smirk. "I've made up my mind. Felix, Alec, and I will be traveling to Astoria. Demetri, take Francesca and Alex back to the castle."

I looked behind me and saw that Felix and Demetri were standing on the stairs of the plane. How long had they been watching?

"Oh, don't worry Alex," Jane murmured. "We won't harm your precious little coven... or, maybe we will. Depends on how I'm feeling when we get there."

"You'll be outnumbered," I sneered. "You won't stand a chance if you attack them."

"That's never stopped us before," she said with a shrug.

Francesca grabbed my arms and was slowly pulling me towards the plane. She was actually holding my arms tightly, which made me realize that she was holding me back. I wanted to be free of her. I wanted to rip my arms out of her grasp and tear Jane apart, yet I looked in Francesca's eyes. They had a knowing gaze, and then I had an idea.

To keep up the act, I struggled in Francesca's arms.

"Don't you dare lay a hand on anyone in my family!" I shouted.

Alec looked upset for a moment. He shoved Jane away, telling her to go and that he would catch up. She nodded in understanding and then she was gone.

Alec glared at me. "You didn't use your power on her, did you?"

I mentally cursed myself. I forgot about my power! All of this could have been prevented if I would have just _told_ Jane not to go to Astoria.

"No, I didn't," I sighed, feeling defeated.

He said nothing as he disappeared into the trees, Felix following behind him.

"C'mon, ladies, time to get a move on," Demetri sighed, walking up the steps and into the plane. Francesca led me inside and she sat down in one of the rows.

I looked at Demetri, and his gaze met mine. Our eyes stayed together for just a few seconds before he shook his head and sauntered off into the cockpit. I wondered what thoughts could be going through his head at that very moment. Sometimes I wished I was like Edward... but then I think that would be a blessing AND a curse.

Demetri shut the door behind him and I heard the engines of the plane start up. Immediately I sat down next to Francesca.

"Show me what's going on," I whispered, so quietly that I could barely hear myself.

Francesca grabbed my hand and I was transported to another place...

Jane was running through the forest, Alec and Felix flanking her sides. She had a huge smirk on her face. I wanted to slap it off.

The scene changed, and I was taken to my family's living room. Alice was on the couch next to Jasper. Edward, Bella, and Nessie were in the room with them.

Alice tensed up, and everyone rushed to her side. Her brow furrowed in frustration before she gasped and her mouth formed a small "o".

"What's wrong, Alice?" Jasper asked.

"The Volturi are coming..." she murmured.

Everyone exchanged a frantic look.

"_Who_ from the Volturi are coming?" Bella asked.

"Jane... Alec... and Felix," Alice said with a sigh. "No one else."

Nessie looked extremely disappointed.

"How much time do we have before they arrive?" Jasper questioned.

Alice's eyes became unfocused again. "Three and a half hours," she said after a few moments. "They'll arrive at about five o' clock."

"I'd better call Carlisle," Edward said, "and see if he can leave work early."

He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.

"You should call Esme as well," Bella said.

Edward nodded and paced out of the room, dialing his phone.

"I'll call Emmett," Jasper said, standing up from the couch. "They might be almost two hours away, depending on how far they went out."

What I saw changed once more, and I saw Carlisle sitting at a desk in an office. He was jotting something down in a folder when a vibrating phone could be heard. He pulled his cell phone out of a drawer, looked at the screen for a moment, and then answered it.

"Hello Edward," he said. "Is something wrong?"

He paused as he listened to Edward, and in that moment I realized how much I missed him and the sound of his voice.

"Dad..." I whispered, even though I knew he couldn't hear me.

"How much time do we have?" Carlisle asked Edward through the phone. "Alright, I don't have anything else planned for today... Yes, I'll just tell them I'm feeling ill, or that Esme's sick... Good, yes, call her... I'll be home as soon as I can... Oh, and Edward?"

He took a deep breath before he spoke again.

"Is Alex with them?" he asked quietly, and I saw his face fall, the glint of hope in his eyes disappearing in a flash. "Oh. Well, I'll be there as soon as possible. Goodbye."

Carlisle hung up the phone and placed it on his desk. He ran his hand through his hair, and I watched him pick up a coffee cup that was sitting on his desk. He held in his hand for a moment before he smashed it as easily as one would crumple a piece of paper, his face contorting into an expression of pain.

Like the cup, my heart shattered into pieces.

Carlisle slipped his cell phone into his pocket. He stood from his desk, grabbed his coat and briefcase, and headed towards the door.

"I wish you could see me, Carlisle," I murmured. "I'm closer than you think."

As he reached for the door handle, he froze. Excitement bubbled up in me.

"Carlisle, can you hear me?" I asked.

He merely stood there for a few more seconds, then shook his head and left his office.

Although Carlisle couldn't hear me, there was the hope deep down in my heart that _somehow_ he could sense that I was watching him.

Francesca showed me the next scene, and it was of Esme. She was in the Home Interior Consignment store in town, a place she loved to frequently visit, off to the side in an aisle.

"Did you call Carlisle already?" she asked the person she was speaking to on the phone, who I assumed was Edward. "I'm sure they'll let him out if he tells them he feels sick. He hasn't taken off in a while... Don't you think I already see that, Edward? Working all this time is his way of coping... I don't know. I'm doing the best I can, Edward... Yes, I'll be home soon."

The vision shifted to Emmett. He had just taken down a mountain lion when his phone began to buzz.

"Hey Jazz, what's up?" he inquired in a warm-hearted manner before his face became serious. "What? When? That doesn't give us much time... Did Alice see, um..."

Emmett's voice became very quiet as I heard footsteps approaching.

"Did Alice see her with them?" he whispered.

I assumed Emmett was speaking about me.

"Oh. Well, I could only hope..." Emmett muttered. "Yeah, I'll tell her and we'll be home as soon as we can."

"What's wrong, Em?" Rosalie asked, coming up behind Emmett.

"We've got a problem and we have to get home ASAP," he told her. "Jane, Alec, and Felix are on their way to the house, and we have to leave now if we want to beat them there."

"Just... Just Jane, Alec, and Felix?" Rosalie asked tentatively.

Emmett frowned, and then kissed her on top of the head.

"Sorry, babe," he said, "just the three of them."

Renesmee was the next person I saw. I watched her travel down a hallway and knock on one of the doors. It opened to reveal Parker. Seeing him, even if only like this, was a punch in the gut. I wish I could BE there with him.

"What can I do for you, Nessie?" he asked with a small smile.

"The Volturi are coming," she told him urgently. "Jane, Alec, and Felix. They'll be here close to five this evening."

Parker frowned.

"C'mon, my dad has something important to tell you," Nessie said to him. She tugged on his shirt sleeve and led him downstairs.

For the next three and a half hours, Francesca alternated between showing me what Jane was doing (which was just merely running) and how my family was preparing for the "little visit". Finally, as five o'clock Astoria time neared, my family walked out to the front yard. Sure enough, Jane, Alec, and Felix emerged from the forest.

"Hello Cullens," Jane said as she approached them.

"What is the reason for you visit today, Jane?" Carlisle asked politely, stepping forward from the rest of the family.

"I just merely wanted to come and update you on how Alex is doing," she said with an evil smile. "Since she's been with us, she has drunk from and killed a human, been the reason for a death, and assisted in killing many people."

Edward growled. "She did all those things because she was _forced_ to."

Jane chuckled. "Reading my thoughts, are you Edward? Well, take a look at this."

It was quiet for a moment as Edward saw whatever Jane was showing him.

"You had that comment coming, Jane," Edward spat. I assumed she show him me being tortured after I called Jane a bitch.

Jane's face morphed into an expression of pure fury. She lunged forward at Edward and was closing to slashing at him with her fingernails before Bella jumped in front of Edward. She shoved her, causing Jane to fly back into Alec.

"Are you wishing to start something?" Jane snarled.

"No, l don't wish to start anything, as long as you don't _attack my husband_," Bella said.

Jane sneered. "Let just warn you-"

"About what?" Esme questioned, pure anger seeping into her voice.

"About what will happen if you try to rescue Alex," she said. "In case you didn't already know, Alex was just in Texas."

"She was _where_?" Parker yelled.

Jane ignored him. "It was a good thing you didn't come after us, because that would have been bad for her. If one of you, _any_ of you tries to come and take Alex away from Volterra, we will kill her on the spot."

My family was silent.

"I had a feeling you could have already assumed that, but I just wanted to clarify," Jane said with a chuckle.

Parker began to step forward, but Jasper grabbed a hold of his arm.

"Don't do anything irrational, Parker!" I cried, even though it was like I was talking to a wall- he wouldn't hear me. "Don't do anything you'll regret!"

Carlisle seemed to freeze again like he did in his office earlier in the day. Could he really somehow sense that I was watching?

"That was all I needed to say," Jane said. "Wow. What a simple visit. Well, we best be getting back to Volterra. We have a long run ahead of us, seeing as Demetri took Alex and Francesca back in the private plane. It's a shame, really. She was just so close to you all three hours ago... Pity."

Emmett was holding Rosalie back, but barely being able to do so.

"I'll tell Alex you're all doing well..." Jane murmured, "or maybe I won't. We'll see."

She, Alec, and Felix turned their backs on my family. Alec and Felix left, but Jane turned back to everyone before she vanished.

"My apologies, Esme. I forgot to express my condolences," Jane sneered. "It's a shame what happened to your great-niece, but seeing what she was, she had it coming. Better be careful... or Alex will be next."

With that, Jane turned on her feet and left. The anger left Esme's face, and it was replaced with hurt. Carlisle pulled her into his arms and stroked her hair.

"We'll find some way to get her, my dear," he whispered, "or she'll get to us... I promise you... I promise..."

With that, the vision faded out and I was back in the plane.

**-oOo-**

**That darn Jane! What a witch! Hope you enjoyed the chapter... Please leave me a review :)**


	22. Wait

**Author's Note: I do not own Twilight. Twilight and all of the characters are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**A hearty thank-you to caseyrn12, IWonderWhatIShouldBeCalled, lunamoon2012, Dominique Weasley, JB'sVampire, Cloudy Night, immortalroxtar, emmettlover4everandalways, and "nobody" for reviewing!**

**HEADS UP: BIG TIME JUMP! We're now in October, but Alex is recounting what has happened up to that…**

_I'm an invisible disaster_

_I keep trying to walk but my feet don't find the solid ground_

_It's like living in a bad dream_

_I keep trying to scream but my tongue has finally lost its sound_

_I've got to say goodbye_

_To the pieces of me that have already died_

_I'm a ghost_

_Haunting these halls_

_Climbing up walls that I never knew where there_

_And I'm lost_

_Broken down the middle of my heart, heart_

_I'm broken down the middle of my heart, heart, heart_

_You know you make me a ghost_

_Oh, you make me a ghost_

_You make me a ghost._

_-_Ingrid Michaelson_, Ghost_

**chapter 22**

**october 18th, 2013**

**-oOo-**

_September 16th_- Francesca, Demetri, and I arrived back in Volterra. I fell into a depression-like state, returning to my room to lie on my bed and stare at the ceiling. The visions of Carlisle smashing the coffee cup and Esme crying into his arms replayed over and over again.

_September 17th_- Jane came back with Alec and Felix. She recounted everything that had happened at my house, not knowing that I had already seen it all. I got to relive the pain again, just with more spite that could only be given by Jane.

_September 18th_- Francesca was watching me in my room, and she said that Peter and Charlotte had been at the house. She recapped what had happened…

_It was merely minutes after the Volturi departed into the trees and made their way back to Volterra that Peter and Charlotte broke through the trees._

"_Peter, what brings you back so soon?" Jasper asked, walking towards them. _

"_We would have been here sooner, but we had to evade the Volturi," Charlotte said, "and heed Alex's warning."_

"_Alex's warning?" Esme asked._

"_What do you mean?" Carlisle questioned._

"_We saw Alex in Texas," Peter told them. "She had been hunting, and was being guarded by a red-head that I didn't recognize. Charlotte and I thought we remembered Alex's face from the pictures we saw here, and when we asked her if she knew you, Jasper, she said yes."_

"_She begged us to come to you all and tell you that she's fine," Charlotte said. "She says she loves you and she misses you all a lot."_

"_And we miss her," Esme sighed sadly._

_Charlotte gave her a small smile. "You sound just like her."_

_Edward laughed and shook his head._

"_What?" Bella asked, putting her hand on his arm._

"_Alex can be pretty demanding if she wants to be," Edward chuckled, "with or without her power."_

"_Oh, I wasn't aware of any ability she possessed," Peter said, "but yes, she definitely used her position to her advantage."_

"_What are you two talking about?" Alice inquired. _

"_We weren't very sneaky, for when Alex heard us rustling in the trees, she said she was a member of the Volturi guard and demanded we show ourselves."_

"_I wish I could show you, Carlisle," Edward said with a crooked smile. "Your little girl isn't so little anymore."_

_September 20th_- Aro left me alone. Everyone left me alone, and for that I was glad.

_September 25th_- I had not hunted since I left Texas. My eyes were as black as coal, the bags under my eyes were gigantic, and most of all, I was weak. I was in terrible shape, and Aro called me into the throne room as Heidi brought in a tour group. I was proud of myself. I did not attack, even though when the humans were there it felt as if someone took a lit match and threw it down my throat. It seemed like Aro was impressed. He instructed Felix to take me hunting the way _I _wanted. It was a small little victory for me. I thought to myself, _my family would be proud. _

_September 26th_- Aro thought it would be a good idea to train me and hone my offensive fighting skills. He assigned Alec to teach me. I used what I learned with Jasper by freezing Alec in his spot… on the _very first try_. I think my hate for him, or just my hate towards everyone in general, came into play.

We fought in the throne room, and Aro, Caius, and Marcus watched. Aro studied me intently the entire time, seeing what fight ability I possessed. From the look on his face, he seemed impressed.

I was pretty good at using my power to fight, but then when it came to hand-to-hand combat… not so good. Alec flung me onto my back numerous times. Once, twice, _three_ times I hit the marble floors, leaving chips where I landed. I got up after the third time, and Alec showed no mercy. One second he grabbed my arm, and in the next instant… it was in his hand.

I was confused at first. I looked down and, yes, almost my entire right arm was gone. Alec had disconnected it from a few inches above the elbow. My gaze turned to him, and there was a small smirk on his face.

The pain almost did not register at first, but then I felt it- sharp and excruciating. Painful, like the transformation, but in a completely different way.

"I believe that's enough for today," Aro said.

Alec tossed me my arm and I caught it with the only hand I had left. Could a vampire get sick? I felt like I might.

Aro said something, but it did not reach my ears. I could not stop staring at my arm. My focus could not be torn from the cold, pale limb.

Somebody was escorting me out of the throne room, and I found that it was Francesca. When had she gotten to the throne room?

"You are going to have to reattach your arm with your venom," she told me when we reached my silent room.

I nodded and, to my dismay, licked the part of my arm that had been ripped off, sticking it back in place. I thought the pain of losing the arm was bad, but no. This was _worse_. I gritted my teeth, trying to not let a scream escape. Francesca placed her hand on my arm, and I gripped the coffee table. Unfortunately, my grasp was too hard, and I tore a piece of the table off.

Francesca stayed with me until my arm was healed. If a vampire looked very closely at my arm, they would be able to see a very, very faint line where the skin had been disconnected. They probably wouldn't notice it at first…

But I always would.

_October 2nd_- I had five days of training. I was faster and stronger, and I was hoping that wouldn't fade away when my newborn days passed. Over those five days, Alec ripped off many of my limbs. I had lost my right arm twice, and the line on my arm was a bit more noticeable now thanks to the fact that Alec ripped it off at the same spot every time. I had lost my left foot one day, and most recently Alec had torn off all the fingers on my left hand. That was a burden, putting my hand back together. It was five times the pain.

It was just Demetri, Jane, Alec, and I in the throne room battling. I was mentally exhausted from all the fighting and Aro had not let me hunt since the twenty-fifth of September. So, when Alec tried to get me to fight harder by threatening my family, my self-control snapped. I controlled Jane and made her torture Alec. I wanted him to _feel_ the pain I felt. I wanted him to have a taste of his own medicine.

I was personally punished by Caius for that stunt. Losing the fingers on my left hand was not as bad as losing both my arms and all my toes.

_October 3rd_- I had a break from combat training to hunt, even though Caius protested profusely. The golden flecks were beginning to return to my eyes, and that meant I was getting one step closer to what I wanted.

_October 4th_- I was walking down the castle hallways alone when I suddenly doubled over due to Jane's power. It seemed to last for a long before I came back to my senses.

"That was for my brother," she hissed.

She grabbed my left wrist and exposed my charm bracelet. I was hiding it underneath the sleeve of my robes for comfort, and she managed to undo the clasp in one fluid motion. She yanked it off my wrist and held it between her thumb and index finger. Shooting me an evil smile, she began to crush some of the charms.

"Give it to me," I commanded, remembering my power and using it. Her eyes glazed over, and she handed me my bracelet.

For good measure, I punched her right in the jaw.

That brought her back to her senses. I looked at me bracelet, and she had managed to crush an A, P, and C charm. She narrowed her eyes at me, but then took a look at the bracelet. She saw the damage had already been done. She didn't have to hit back. I was already wounded.

She gave me a smirk and left in the direction from whence she came.

_October 7th_- Francesca brought Belvedere to my room so I could get to know him better, but I could only see my family in him. Parker's shaggy brown hair. Nessie's hummingbird heart. Emmett's dimples. Alice's cheery disposition. The similarities were so overwhelming that I found myself running to the bathroom and hiding. I wanted to apologize to Belvedere... but I couldn't force myself to go back.

I wished Francesca could explain to him what I was going through, but then I remembered she could not speak. To everyone else, she was mute. Even to the person she cared most about in the entire world.

_October 9th_- Francesca and I were called to the throne room. A vampire was there, and he was captured because he almost exposed himself in Volterra. Nothing unique about his situation. He didn't know what he was doing was wrong; he was just a newborn.

He was killed, but I didn't have to use my powers on him. I still felt bad, though. He had been searching for his son, who went missing shortly before he was turned.

His son's name was Edward.

_October 11th_- Hunting again. My eyes were still red, but a few more minuscule gold flecks showed up.

_October 13th_- More fighting with Alec. He wasn't quick enough to steal any of my limbs.

_October 16th_- Francesca brought Belvedere back to see me. I did not run and hide. We talked, and he actually made me smile. He was one of the most adorable kids I had ever seen. He asked me questions about what would happen to him when he got older, and I tried to answer them to the best of my abilities. I told him about Nessie, which made him ask if he could meet her.

"I hope so," I whispered to him. "Maybe one day, Belvedere. Maybe one day..."

_October 17th_- I cradled up in my bathroom with the photos, conjuring up every memory I had with my family. I was upset because I was starting to forget the simple scents of them. When I used to think of them, I could remember their scents, but now... my mind and nose were drawing a _blank_.

All those events led up to today, where I sat alone in my bedroom on the couch, my legs curled up to my chest. Francesca threw open the door and shut it behind her as quickly as she came in.

"I cannot _stand_ this anymore!" she whisper-shouted.

"What can't you stand?" I asked.

"You!" she said. "You are getting worse and worse as each day goes on!"

I didn't have anything to say to that.

"I'm going to get you out of here," she whispered.

I frowned. "Aro said if I try to run then he'll-"

"I know what he said," she interrupted. "But I have a plan that might get you back to your family before he realizes what's going on."

"And what _exactly_ is your plan?" I questioned.

She smiled, and then pulled out a pen and piece of paper. Walking over to the couch, she sat down and began scrawling down her plans. I watched her as she wrote on and on, flipping to the back of the page to give her more room to write.

When she was done, she handed over the paper and read it. I couldn't help but smile. Francesca must have put a lot of thought into it. It was elaborate... and perfect.

"We can begin step one... right now," she said.

I grinned even wider. "Let's do that."

Francesca left while I changed from my t-shirt to my long-sleeve shirt and my black jeans into my zipper cargo pants. I headed into the bathroom and immediately grabbed my duffel, pulling out my photos, the remains of my charm bracelet, and Parker's bracelet. There was one pocket on my left leg big enough to hold the photos without having to fold them, so I placed them in there with the jewelry.

I met Francesca back out in the living room, and she was waiting with a few objects: a wad of money, the note with our plan, and a pair of sunglasses.

"You will definitely be in need of all this," she told me.

I slipped those three items in one of my many pockets. Francesca handed me my cloak and Volturi pendant to put on. I need to wear these to make it seem as if I was normally going through the castle.

Francesca gave me a small smile and grabbed my shoulders.

"You are going to make it to your family, I just know it," she said quietly.

"Thank you," I whispered, "for everything you've done."

She wrapped her arms around me for a hug, and I returned it.

"Now go," she murmured.

She gave my arm one last squeeze before I hustled out of the room.

The first step of my plan needed to work, or nothing else could go right. What I needed to do was find Demetri, and then Alec, Jane, and Felix would come after.

I silently trekked through the halls, not coming across Demetri. I was about to go check in the library when I came face to face with him.

"Where are you going?" he asked me.

"The library," I said simply.

Demetri was one of the vampires in the guard that I honestly did not hate. When we boarded the plane in Texas to return here, we shared a look. I remember seeing the understanding and sympathy in his eyes.

I sent my commands to the gold over his head and it turned its bright shade of blue.

Do not follow me. Do not use your power to track me.

"You're not trying to run off, are you?" he joked, giving me a smile.

"No," I lied, crossing my arms.

"Enjoy your books, then," he said with a chuckle, turning and continuing down the hall.

When he was far enough away, I smiled and ducked into the library. It was silent and empty, so I left in the direction that would lead to my room. My luck just increased when I was stopped in the hallway by none other than the three people I was looking for. I quickly sent my command to all of them.

Do not follow me.

"Going somewhere?" Jane questioned, crossing her arms.

"I'm just trying to get back to my room," I said. _Another lie_. "You're blocking the hallway. May I please get by?"

Jane and Alec didn't budge. They were just trying to aggravate me, and boy was it working.

Felix was different, though. He stepped aside for me. I gave him a little nod and darted past. I'm sure he'd be mentally kicking himself when he finds out he just helped me to escape... or maybe Jane would physically kick him. One or the other.

I made my way through the halls and corridors, luckily not passing anyone until I got to the lobby. I compelled the secretary, who was scribbling something down on a pad of paper.

"Do not let anyone know I left," I told her.

Her eyes glazed over, above her head went from gold to blue, and I knew my message had gotten through.

The elevator took me down and I escaped this prison. The sun was out, but the occasional cloud covered it up. I sped out of the city so I couldn't take any chances of being spotted. If everything went well, Aro wouldn't notice right away that I was gone, unless he needed me for something. Possibly, I could have a full day's advantage.

The next step of Francesca's plan was to get to Rome and buy a ticket for the next flight into... Pittsburgh. Aro would probably expect me to head straight to Seattle or Portland, and I was hoping that I could get my family out of Oregon...

A set of clouds rolled in as I got closer to the airport, which was perfect timing. I disposed of my cloak, placed the Volturi pendant in one of my pockets, and threw on my sunglasses to hide my red eyes. Now I was able to blend in with the rest of the civilians here.

I was just in time to catch a flight, and before I knew it I was on the plane. All I had to do was _wait_ for this flight to end, and another step of my plan would be complete.

Francesca wasn't with me, which meant Alice could see me. Was she watching right now? Did she know I was coming?

_Here I am Alice_, I thought, _and I'm on my way home._

**-oOo-**

**She made it out- finally! What will happen next? You'll just have to wait and see... In the meantime, while you're waiting for me to update, you can go see the Hunger Games :D**


	23. Clearing

**Author's Note: I do not own Twilight. Twilight and all of the characters are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**caseyrn12, IWonderWhatIShouldBeCalled, immortalroxtar, Dominique Weasley, Cloudy Night, Cutest Sarah, JB'sVampire, and emmettlover4everandalways reviewed the last chapter, and I LOVE THEM FOR IT! **

**I think you guys will like this chapter :) Enjoy!**

_For those nights when I couldn't be there,_

_I've made it harder to know that you know_

_That somehow,_

_We'll keep moving on._

_There's so many wars we've fought_

_There's so many things we're not_

_But with what we have_

_I promise you that_

_We're marchin' on_

_(We're marchin' on)_

_(We're marchin' on)_

_-_OneRepublic_, Marchin On_

**chapter 23**

**october 18th, 2013**

**-oOo-**

Another long, long plane flight. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to fly anymore for a _while_.

It was still October eighteenth in the bustling city of Pittsburgh, along with still being October eighteenth in Volterra. Had Aro found out I had left yet?

The plane landed just a little after four in the afternoon, Eastern Time. People milled about the airport, some with sunglasses still on, which was good for me. I was still able to blend in.

I made my way through the floors, going to a desk that got me a taxi. I headed outside to wait, and clouds were rolling in here as well. My luck was increasing by the hour.

When I got in the taxi the driver asked me where I was headed, and I read him an address Francesca had written down for me.

_Hail a taxi_, she wrote along with the address, _and have the driver take you here_.

It was a relatively short drive, and the driver ended up taking me to a little cafe. After dealing with his attempts to flirt with me, I made a show of rolling my eyes, paid him, and got out of the taxi. I guess this would be something I'd have to get used to, thanks to the new flawless features and vampire physique.

I waited until the taxi drove out of sight before pulling out the piece of paper to read my next instruction.

_Travel northwest. Google Maps displayed a clearing out in the forest. Go there, and I'm sure you can guess who will meet you. _

Excitement bubbled up in me. I was sure that if my heart still could beat, it would be going at a mile a minute.

I would be seeing my family.

I walked along the road at an aggravatingly slow human pace, because it wasn't dark out yet and people could still see me. The clouds were getting darker, and I started to think it would rain. That wouldn't matter much to me, though. I honestly missed the rain. It reminded me of home.

I turned onto a street that would lead me to the forest, and there were several small but charming houses. The first one I passed had a white picket fence and rose bushes. A little stone path led to stairs, which in turn led up to the porch. The railing wrapped around to the sides of the tan house with the big blue door and bay window in the front.

The house wasn't large like mine, yet I still loved it. Its cozy design wasn't what caught most of my attention, though. It was the woman sitting on the porch... staring right at me. She seemed to be in her sixties, and she had dark brown eyes that were fixated on me. Her caramel-colored hair was pulled back in a bun, and I could see several strands of grey.

The woman smiled at me, revealing a pair of very small, barely noticeable dimples. "It looks as if a storm may be rolling in, dear. Do you have somewhere to go?"

"Yes ma'am," I said. "I'm just on my way to a friend's."

"Well, hurry along then," she murmured. "I don't want you to get caught in the rain."

I nodded and continued along, passing the end of her empty driveway. A little blue mailbox, the same color as her front door, sat there. I almost didn't believe my eyes when I saw the name on it.

_Platt_.

_Another day_, I promised myself, _I'll be back here to talk to my cousin. _

I started to pick up my speed a little once I reached the point where the street met another. The tree line was just ahead, and I looked around to make sure no one was watching. When I determined the coast was clear, I ran. I darted passed trees and took down a deer that just so happened to be wandering through.

I had no idea what my eyes would look like. Would my family see any of the gold flecks, or would the red stand out to them?

The trees suddenly diminished, and I was standing in the clearing I assumed Francesca had found. It was completely bare, aside from a few spare daisies and dandelions. The grass was a dull green, but a large portion of it was brown and dead.

I paced over to where the daisies grew, plucking one out of the ground. I carefully ran my fingers along one of the petals. It was incredible how smooth and silky the petal was. It wasn't something I really focused on when I had the white roses in Volterra.

All of the sudden, I heard a female shout coming from the distance to my right. I let the flower fall to the ground and I turned to where the sound came from.

I recognized the voice.

Alice was the first person to appear from the trees. She saw me, and then she froze. Was something wrong? Was she upset by my eyes?

I gave her a sad smile and looked towards the ground. Jokingly, I said, "I had a feeling you would be here."

I said that without even thinking.

Alice and I let out simultaneous gasps.

"Your vision!" I shouted. "That's what the vision you had back in June was-"

I was interrupted by Alice rushing to me and wrapping her arms around me for a hug. She let out a delighted squeal.

"It's you! It's really you!" she said excitedly. "I'm really seeing you, in the flesh! I missed you so much!"

"I missed you, too!" I laughed, hugging her back.

"Everyone's on their way," she told me, releasing me from her grasp. "I just had a… _really_ big head start."

"How did you get so far ahead of everyone?" I asked.

"Well…" she said, drawing out the word.

I chuckled. "You didn't tell anyone what you saw, did you?"

"Okay, no, I'm sorry!" she gushed. "I just saw a vision of you on the plane and I got so excited, so I leapt up off the couch and ran! They were calling for me, but I kept running. I know Jasper followed me, and I figured everyone would join him, so…"

I giggled and wrapped my arms around her for another hug.

"So this will be a surprise for them, then?" I inquired.

She smiled. "I feel like they may have already figured out what this is about. I haven't really been excited about anything recently, and after Nessie's birthday all I really did was watch for your future to show up…"

My smile fell. "Oh."

She put her hands on my shoulders. "No, don't even _begin_ to blame yourself for anything."

I heard footsteps. There they were, pounding on the ground, and then… silence.

Alice and I turned in the direction from where she came, and Jasper was standing there. We both smiled brightly, and he smiled back. I ran to him, and he bowed.

"It's been a while since we've seen each other, ma'am," he said. "It's a pleasure."

I laughed. "Screw the southern hospitality and just give me a hug!"

He chuckled and I threw my arms around him, trying not to hurt him as I hugged him tightly.

"I've missed you, little sister," he murmured.

"I missed you too, big brother," I replied.

"Aw, you two are so adorable!" Alice squealed, running over to us. Jasper planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Emmett was just a bit behind me," he told us, "and if Emmett is close, Rosalie can't be too far off."

As if on cue, Emmett dashed through the trees.

"Emmett!" I yelled, running towards him.

"Hey kiddo!" he laughed, swooping me into his arms and spinning in a circle.

"I missed you!" I told him.

"I missed you, too," he said. "There's been no one else to pick on."

I punched him in the stomach, and he recoiled.

"Hey, don't forget about your strength," he muttered.

"Oh, I didn't forget," I said with a smile.

He laughed and moved to playfully shove my shoulder, but I dodged it.

"Where's Rose?" Alice asked Emmett.

"I… I'm right here," a voice whispered. I turned, and there was Rosalie, frozen at the edge of the trees. Our eyes met, and she covered her mouth with her hand.

"Hey, Rose," I murmured.

"Hi, baby-doll," she whispered back.

I let out a choked sob and ran to her. It had been so long since I heard her call me that.

I hugged her and she stroked my hair.

"I missed you so, so much," she whispered.

"I missed you too… so much," I replied.

"My god, Esme and Carlisle will be thrilled!" she said excitedly. "Nessie, too, and Parker! They've all missed you terribly."

"Are they on their way?" I asked.

"Edward, Bella, and Nessie were behind me," she said. "I don't know how far Parker was behind them. Esme had to wait for Carlisle, so they may be a bit."

"Do they know what's going on?" I inquired.

"I think they may have figured it out," she told me with a smile.

I laughed. "Alice said that, too."

Rosalie laughed again and hugged me tighter. There was a hand on my shoulder, and I turned to see who it was.

It was Parker.

I let out a squeal that sounded like a small child's, and threw my arms around him. He kissed me on the top of my head and on my cheeks.

"I missed you, angel," he murmured.

"I missed you, too!" I laughed.

"I assume you got ahead of Ed and Bells, huh?" Emmett joked.

"Well, when Edward said to Nessie that it was a good thing she was wearing her necklace, I kind of lost it and ran full speed," he said with an embarrassed chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck.

Alice clapped her hands together. "Oh, Alex, you're going to love Nessie's necklace!"

I smiled in spite of myself. Nessie didn't need to show me. I already saw the necklace, thanks to Francesca.

I heard the rustle of leaves being blown by a breeze, and I turned to see Nessie, Edward, and Bella standing at the edge of the clearing. A huge grin spread upon Nessie's face.

"Alex!" she shouted excitedly, dashing towards me.

"Hi!" I said, engulfing her in my arms when she reached me. "I missed you! How's my favorite little niece?"

"I'm as tall as you!" she said. "You can't call me your little niece."

"Ah, but you're the only person in this family that's younger than me, so therefore I'm going to call you my little niece," I told her.

She laughed and I hugged her again.

"I wanna show you something," she said. She tugged on the chain around her neck and pulled out the rest of the necklace from underneath her shirt. The silver heart charm caught the light.

"Charms in the shape of an N, a heart, and an A," she said.

"Nessie loves Alex," I whispered under my breath, but Nessie caught it.

"Yeah, that's it," she told me. "How did you know?"

I gave her a sweet smile. "I guess I'm just a good guesser."

I replayed the theme song for an Italian soap opera in my head. Edward didn't need to know about Francesca… right now.

I stood up and gave Bella and Edward hugs. Edward gave me an inquisitive look and I smiled at him, trying to give off an aura of _I have nothing to hide_.

"Well, all the gang's almost here," Emmett laughed, putting his hand on my shoulder. "All we need now are Carlisle and Esme."

Edward let out a laugh. "They're close. I can hear them."

I smiled, and I turned my head in the direction that everyone had shown up in. We waited, silently, until were heard the pair of footsteps approaching. Rose grabbed my hand and I smiled at her.

My parents emerged from the trees at the same time. Esme saw me, and one of the brightest smiles I had ever seen spread across her face. I smiled back and ran to them. She grabbed me into her arms and I sobbed tearlessly into her shirt, taking in the scent that I had forgotten: the smell of fresh-baked cakes. I felt Carlisle wrap his arms around the both of us.

"I missed you two so much!" I cried.

"We missed you, too," Esme whispered.

I broke from Esme's arms and looked at Carlisle. He smiled and kissed me on top of the head.

"_Now_ the gang's all here!" Emmett said. Esme and I let out a laugh.

"But in all seriousness, we need to focus on what happens next," Jasper told us.

I sighed and nodded. "He's right."

"The Volturi are probably close behind, with Demetri leading the way," Jasper said.

"No, I don't think so…" I murmured. "It's probably Aro leading them all."

"Why would Aro leave the castle?" Carlisle asked.

"Because if he didn't… No one else would go," I said.

"Wait… Huh? I'm confused," Emmett said.

Edward smiled. "You used your compulsion, didn't you Alex?"

I let out a laugh. "Yeah."

"What did you make them do?" Emmett questioned.

"It's really about what I made them not be able to do," I told them. "I used my compulsion on Demetri, Jane, Alec, and Felix and commanded them to not follow me, and added for Demetri to not use his power."

"So those four have been rendered completely useless?" Rosalie asked.

I shook my head. "There was a loophole that made sense. After Aro figured out that those four couldn't go on their own, he'd have to find some way to get them to go with him in search of me. He'd have to trick them, in a sense."

"But he'd have to track you own his own," Jasper stated.

"Exactly," I said with a smile.

"So you were buying yourself time," he said, to which I nodded.

"How much time do you think we have?" Carlisle asked.

"I'm not entirely sure," I muttered. "I have no way of knowing that Aro's figured out I left. Sometimes he'd leave me alone for a whole day if he didn't need me."

"Um, guys," Alice muttered. "I think Aro's figured it out. He's on his way in two private jets… With all of the guard. Including the wives."

**-oOo-**

**Uh-oh. The Volturi are coming… *sigh*. As if you haven't seen enough of them already.**


	24. Swan Song

**Author's Note: You always get that disclaimer from me, I don't own Twilight, Stephenie Meyer does, no copyright infringement is intended, yadda yadda yadda. You get the gist. **

**caseyrn12, JB'sVampire, immortalroxtar, Cutest Sarah, IWonderWhatIShouldBeCalled, Dominique Weasley, and CloudyNight are awesome people. Very awesome... and check me out, updating so soon! ;D**

**I'm going to say this now. I know you are all going to be mad at me. Really mad. Extremely mad. INCREDIBLY MAD. I must say, though… All things happen for a reason. So, at the end of this chapter, as you sit staring at your computer screen, phone screen, etc. thinking WTF JUST HAPPENED, turn some of that pure burning fury into a review. I'd like to hear what you think. **

**Alrighty. Time for the swan song. **

_It's just my humble opinion_

_But it's one that I believe in_

_You don't deserve a point of view_

_If the only thing you see is you_

_You don't have to believe me_

_But the way I, way I see it_

_Next time you point a finger _

_I might have to bend it back_

_Or break it, break it off_

_Next time you point a finger_

_I'll point you to the mirror_

_-_Paramore_, Playing God_

**chapter 24**

**october 18th, 2013**

**-oOo-**

Aro's two private jets arrived an hour and a half later, moving in to land in the clearing where we were. I pushed the family back, retreating to the opposite end of the space.

"You all have to stay right here," I told them. "Don't move."

"What about you?" Esme asked.

"I'm standing with you all, too. Don't worry," I said, patting her on the hand.

She gave me a small smile, and I turned to Bella.

"Quick, I need to talk to you," I said, pulling her to the side. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward follow us.

"Put your shield up," I instructed Bella.

After a second, she said, "It's up."

"Good," I said. "Now, I need you to listen to me. It's important. Keep your shield up, but if for any reason I ask you to take it down from me, do it… no matter what the situation."

Bella gave me a confused look. "Take the shield down? Why would I even-"

"Please," I whispered. "Just trust me."

She took in an unnecessary breath and nodded. "I trust you."

"Good," I said. "If I look at you, take it down."

She nodded once more.

"What are you planning, Alex?" Edward suddenly blurted out.

I stared at him, not answering. If only he knew… but he would soon enough.

Aro's jets landed, and the stairs from the sides descended into the grass. Caius was the first to emerge from the first jet, followed by Marcus, Aro, and Renata. Jane, Alec, Felix, and Demetri were right behind them. The doors of each jet were opened, and every member of the Volturi filed out. I stood right with my family.

"Alex, what exactly is your plan?" Jasper asked me.

I fingered the folded-up piece of paper in my pocket, not answering him.

"Alex?" he asked again.

"I have things to use against Aro," I told him. "You all are just need to trust me."

"You've said that a lot, Alex," Bella whispered.

I looked right back at her. "Because I meant it."

I turned back around, squeezing my eyes shut. Edward couldn't hear a thing. No one could see my face.

I opened my eyes, and the Volturi were standing together. With their cloaks, the created a fortress of black, Aro standing in the middle and Caius to his left. Marcus stood to Aro's right, and when I looked closely, I could see Renata hiding behind Aro.

I heard Alice let out a frustrated grunt. "I can't see."

I searched the cloaks, and there was Francesca, five people down from Caius. A few strands of her red hair had escaped from her hood and were dangling in her face. I looked and Belvedere was next to her. _Wow_. Aro had brought everyone to witness, and that _did_ include the wives, who were behind Felix, Demetri, and Corin.

"I must say, Aro, you certainly traveled here in style," I said with a smirk. "How hard was it to find me, though, with Demetri rendered useless?"

Aro let out a growl, which surprised me. He had raised his voice before, but not once have I ever heard him growl.

"No need to get defensive," I told him. "I'm just merely making conversation."

"You are the most disrespectful brat in existence!" Caius spat.

That roused numerous shouts from my family. Aro let out a laugh and shook his head.

"I must admit, I'm impressed," Aro said.

"How so?" I questioned.

"You managed to escape," he said. "Why, using your compulsion on the guards so I would have to physically lead them here myself? You're even more clever and cunning then I originally believed."

I curtsied.

"But that cleverness had ended here," he added.

I crossed my arms. "Oh, really?"

He laughed. "Yes, you were able to run off, but the deal you originally made with me was that if you joined the guard, your family would go free from their treason of associating with an immortal child. You _knew_ what would happen to your family if you broke that promise, and it looks to me like the promise has been… shall we say, terminated."

"You have_ got_ to be kidding me!" I shouted. "You are lecturing me about breaking rules? This is coming from the corrupted ruler who kept an immortal child alive just so that _you_ could use her as a pawn to steal _me_ away for your guard!"

Aro didn't say anything.

"Doesn't that make _you_ the rule breaker, Aro? _Huh?_"

He kept his gaze level with mine.

"Why aren't you saying anything, Aro? Don't like being ousted of your crimes in front of witnesses?"

"There is nothing for me to say on this matter," he told me. "You are in violation of your promise, and I feel the need to take action."

I clenched my fists, a growl threatening to escape from my throat, but then I caught Francesca's eye. I turned around… and looked at Bella.

She gave me a small shake of her head.

"Bella," I whispered.

Her face fell, and then she gave me a nod. Her shield was down.

_I can trust you, Edward,_ I thought. _Please stay quiet._

I looked at him, and I could see it in his face. He was confused.

I sent a command back to every member of the family. _Stay behind. Do not follow me._

It was a precaution. I didn't need them following me as I walked forward… Alone.

I began to walk. The paper in my pocket felt like a hundred pounds.

"Alex? What are you doing?" Esme asked.

I turned back around and looked at her. She was upset, and confused. It took all of my willpower to turn around and keep walking… away from her, and away from everyone else.

"Alex!" Rosalie and Parker shouted frantically.

I kept walking, but as I did I was burned by Jane. I sunk to the ground, gritting my teeth as I sat on my knees.

"Aro…" I managed to get out. "If you… wouldn't mind…"

"Enough Jane," Aro said. The pain went away, and I could see Jane glaring daggers at me.

"There was really no need for that, Jane," I told her, getting up off the ground and standing once more. "I mean no harm. There's no need for your power right now, so _don't use it again._"

Jane's eyes glazed over, and the gold over her head went to blue. Alec's eyes widened and he grabbed his sister's arm.

"What did you do to her?" he questioned.

"Gee, Alec, I don't know…" I said with a shrug of my shoulders.

Aro looked at Jane and then back to me, his eyes blazing with fury. He stormed forward until he was right in my face.

"_No one_ harms my guard," he snarled.

"It's about time that someone did," I spat back. "I'm proud to have the courage to be the first one."

His fist flew forward, meaning to collide with my jaw, but I ducked down and avoided it. Alec taught me well.

As I avoided Aro, I sent a command to the Volturi so they wouldn't intervene. Since my family couldn't move, I wouldn't like to have to deal with getting the guard away while I fought Aro at the same time.

Aro slid down to try to ram my legs but I leapt over him, but because of that he grabbed my ankle and slammed me to the ground. I kicked him square in the chest, which flung him backwards. He flew up, going to grab my neck, but I did the same ducking maneuver as I did earlier.

_If a vampire gets his hands on your neck, you're done_, I remember Alec saying.

Aro managed to grab a hold of my arm and flung me over his head. I tumbled down, but rolled back up and kicked his ankle, which brought him down as well. We quarreled, but then, in the line of the black cloaks, I saw Francesca. Her gaze, with so much power and emotion, bore into mine… and I froze.

That gave Aro the perfect opportunity to wrap his arm around my neck.

He shoved me to my knees. I let out a pained cry as he placed his foot on the backs of my knees, rendering me unable to move. I heard Parker call out my name and Rosalie let out a shrill shriek.

"Well, well, would you look at this?" Aro murmured. "You're trapped. So much for Alec's training. Pity… You lost all those limbs for _nothing._"

Commands were sent to my family and all of the Volturi as he spoke. It was simple.

"And all of that valiant effort to get back to your family… Wasted. It's a shame. You had so much potential with us, Alex. You could have been _great._"

"I'd never want to stay with you," I muttered, feebly trying to get Aro's arm off my neck.

Aro sighed. "A typical answer from you… This is all so awful. Just look at your family."

He turned me so I could see them, but I wasn't able to escape.

"Alex!" Alice cried.

"I can't move!" Nessie screamed.

When she spoke, something lit up in Carlisle's eyes. He realized what was going on.

"Alex, what are you doing?" he asked. "There can be another way!"

"I love you all," I whispered.

"Alex, _no_!" Esme yelled.

Aro chuckled. "Aw, isn't that just _so_ sweet? They all want to protect you… but it looks like they failed at that. Do you have any last words, my dear?"

My last word was one that had been haunting my thoughts ever since I heard it uttered. It was a simple word that had given me courage to follow through with my plans, as surprising as that seemed. The word meant "battle to the death", and that was surely what I had done.

The word was a name.

"Ernesta," I whispered.

Aro laughed. "An interesting final word… it has a deep meaning, doesn't it? Battle to the death."

His hands were suddenly tight around my neck, and then he tugged.

Esme's scream was the last thing I heard.

**-oOo-**

**Yeah… Please leave me a review. I want to see how mad you are. The next chapter will be in a different point of view… Yes, the story's not over.**

_**Not even close. **_


	25. Rebuilding

**Author's Note: I do not own Twilight. Twilight and all of the characters are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**All of your reviews for the last chapter had me laughing like some crazy psycho maniac! Hehe! So thanks to the people who gave me that source of entertainment: caseyrn12, IWonderWhatIShouldBeCalled, victoria cullen30, CloudyNight, lolacola27, JB'sVampire, Cutest Sarah, xX Someday My Prince Will Come Xx, MusicIsAlwaysThere, immortalroxtar, emmettlover4everandalways, Dominique Weasley, and fixitright2nd! Thirteen reviews- AHHHH! :D**

**Here we go!**

_Not even earth can hold us_

_Not even life controls us_

_Not even the ground can keep us down_

_The memories in my head_

_Are just as real the time we spent_

_You'll always be close to me_

_My friend_

_This is not the end_

-The Bravery, _This is Not the End_

Esme watched in agony as her daughter was ripped apart in front of her eyes. Not just her head was unattached, but her arms and legs as well. Esme let out a blood-curdling scream that could give even a vampire a chill. There was red in her vision as she tried to lunge forward at Aro, but her husband's grip on her arms stopped her from doing so, and some unseen force that seemed to be keeping her in her spot.

Carlisle struggled to hold her back, as he too wanted to attack Aro. His daughter had been slayed, all because she was trying to protect her family. He knew it wouldn't be wise to attack, even though he was in so much pain, because he didn't need a reason for the Volturi to destroy the rest of his family. He needed to be the strong one. He _always_ had to.

Rosalie felt like her heart had been ripped out of her chest. Her little sister, her baby-doll, was gone.

Emmett held on to Rosalie, seemingly trying to hold her up, but it was really to keep him from falling.

Alice's shoulders shook violently as she collapsed into Jasper's arms.

Jasper held her and tried to be strong, but if one looked closely, they could see some of his emotions showing through. His shoulders were shaking, too.

Nessie was the one with tears streaming down her face. She lost her aunt, but most importantly… her friend.

Bella held on to Nessie and buried her face in her hair. _I should have never taken off the shield_, she thought.

Parker, he was the worst of them all. He fell to his knees, the world seeming to spin around him. His angel was dead. _Dead_. Her body was in pieces in front of him. She was gone… He want to kill every last member of the Volturi- no one was holding him back- but for some reason he couldn't move from the place he knelt. All he wanted to know was… why?

Edward, though, was a completely different story. He now realized why Alex had taken down the shield, and he was grateful she let him in her mind. He saw all of her plans, and heard all of the mental commands she set upon every single person here… including her family.

It wasn't a fluke. It wasn't weakness on her part.

Alex died... On purpose.

There was a piece of paper in her pocket that had her entire plan written out, and she had conferred with the red-head in the guard, whose name he found out was Francesca. Francesca had some tricks up her sleeves as well, and an extremely powerful gift that she had been using to her advantage since the Volturi found her. She was able to block her mind, like a shield, and block whatever thoughts she wanted to… from her head and anyone else's. She could also project, into anyone's minds, something that had happened or was happening anywhere in the world. With Aro, she could alter the thoughts that he read from someone's mind. She had been deceiving him from the day he found her.

Her powers that she possessed helped Alex to make all her plans.

Francesca, however, wasn't blocking any of her thoughts from Edward's head. He saw what Francesca was planning on doing, and how she tied in with Alex's commands.

Alex's commands were as follows:

_To the family: Don't attack the Volturi. Keep level heads. Don__'__t go after them when they leave. Do not avenge my death._

_To the Volturi: Do not kill, harm, or torture my family, Francesca, or Belvedere. Do not burn the pieces of my body. Have faith in Francesca and Belvedere to dispose of me, and do not follow them when they do so._

_To Aro, specifically: Tell Francesca and Belvedere to take away the pieces of my body and dispose of them. Instruct no one to follow them. Return to your castle._

The amazing part of all this, Edward thought, was she gave all these commands as she fought with Aro. When she was dodging his blows, she was sending her commands.

No one in the family could protect her, because she used her power to hold everyone back.

As Edward thought about all this while looking on at Alex's body and Aro's smug face, Francesca looked directly at him.

_I know you are listening, Edward,_ she thought. _Do not count on this to work__… __I do not know if it will, seeing the shape that her body is in. I will try my best to bring her back, but do not come looking for me__… __or her. You must__ not__ breathe a word of this__…__ Alice can__no__t see anything. I blocked her out. Do not build up hope, only for it to come crashing down._

Edward just looked back at her, hoping his gaze would say he understood. He was now in on the plan... Even though things were not definite, he had a strong feeling that Alex would be back before he knew it.

Aro was content, a smirk spreading across his face. Yes, it was a shame to destroy such a gifted vampire, but it would only be a matter of time before she tried to destroy them. He looked at the faces of the Cullens, and saw the pain in them. This showed them that _he_ had the power, that _he_ was in charge. He looked at Carlisle, who was barely holding Esme back from running forward. He knew that they wouldn't attack. The Cullens were smarter than that. However, there was a part of his mind that was saying he shouldn't attack, either. It was a peculiar thing, but he decided to follow that little message in his mind. He continued to look at Carlisle. He was afraid that their old friendship was beyond repair... but then he thought it was beyond repair long ago. Alas, friendship wasn't really important anymore. All that mattered was that he had taken out Alex Cullen, and his power was now supreme. He thought it was funny, really, that she came up to face him all by herself, without any support.

He believed that she would have been wiser than that.

"Francesca, please go with Belvedere and dispose of the body," he said. Francesca and Belvedere scurried forward, picking up the pieces and running far off into the forest.

Esme screamed again, begging them to bring the pieces back... but they didn't. They couldn't, if there was the possibility that they could ease her heartbreak and bring her daughter back.

Aro watched as Esme continued to scream, in vain, as Alex's body was taken farther and farther away.

_If only Alex had been smart enough to not confront me in this manner,_ he thought, _she would probably still be alive... but not for long._

In reality, though, Alex was a lot smarter than everyone made her out to be. Everyone, minus Edward and Francesca, thought she was gone for good. This wasn't the end of her, though. She wasn't leaving her family. She had a plan to defeat the Volturi and keep her family safe… once and for all.

A plan that had started with hands on her neck, the tearing of her skin and bone, and then…

Darkness.

Darkness that led to...

**chapter 25**

**october 23rd, 2013**

**-oOo-**

"C'mon, Alex, wake up! Open your eyes, _dammit_!" a female voice said. It sounded oddly familiar to me, but then I remembered... It was Emi DeAngelo's voice… my good friend from the foster home in Port Townsend, Washington.

"Alex, you need to get up!" Emi pleaded.

My eyelids felt very heavy. If she was here, talking to me, then... I had to be at the foster home.

My god. Was this all a dream? Esme, Carlisle, Parker, my family, the struggles and triumphs we faced, the Volturi... had it all been fantasy?

Now I didn't want to open my eyes. It seemed that my "death" had triggered me to wake up, and when I got up and looked in the mirror... I would just see a thirteen year old girl staring back at me.

I reached to pull the covers back over my head, but when I reached down, I didn't feel my comforter.

I felt grass.

My eyes shot open, and much to my happiness, I saw the sky and towering trees above me.

I let out a sigh of relief. My hand moved to my neck, and it was intact. Smooth. Perfect. I looked at myself. I had a grey long-sleeved thermal shirt on and a pair of jeans. My paper, money, and jewelry had been moved to the two front pockets.

This wasn't all a dream. I had really died, but the brilliant part of the plan Francesca came up with worked. She was able to carry away my body with Belvedere, and with her venom she put me back together.

I was alive once more... but in a second, realization washed over me. Yes, I was alive, but if I heard Emi's voice...

I gracefully sat up and took in the three people in front of me. Much to my surprise, Emi was sitting in front of me, yet she didn't look like herself.

She was a vampire with ruby-red eyes. Stuck at sixteen.

Even though it had only been a little over two months since I last saw her, she looked even older. I didn't know how that was possible.

"Oh, thank god," she sighed. "I was afraid you were never going to wake up!"

"Wait... You're a vampire!" I shouted. "When did this happen? And... how did you find me? How did you figure out-"

"Calm down, Alex," Emi said, putting her hand on my arm. "I'll explain everything you want to know."

"Okay, first of all..." I murmured, "How long have you been a vampire?"

Emi let out a sigh. "For three weeks."

"What... What happened to you, Emi?" I whispered, my gaze drifting to the two vampires still standing there.

Emi laughed, a tinkling sound. "They saved me, Alex. This is Jeanette and Ian... They're my friends and my 'coven mates' now, as they say."

I looked the two over. Both of them looked about seventeen, with light blonde hair. Ian's was cut short, while Jeanette's was very curly and came to the middle of her back. Jeanette had a curvy figure, like Rosalie, and Ian had a muscle build like Jasper's.

I was most excited by the fact that they both had gold eyes.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Jeanette said with a smile, her voice containing a noticeable British accent.

"It's nice to meet you, too," I replied.

"They moved into Port Townsend over the summer," Emi told me. "That's how I met them."

"An old companion of ours acts as our legal guardian," Ian told me, and he also sounded British. "We pretended to be home-schooled children."

"They became really my only friends... at least I thought, until school started," Emi muttered.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"At the very beginning of junior year, this senior named Mark asked me out. I admit I had a little bit of a crush on him, so I said yes," Emi said. "We had gone on a couple of dates before I was really introduced to his friends."

She let out a bitter laugh and shook her head. "They were druggies, and it turned out he was as well. He took me to a party, and I remember there was a lot of alcohol and drugs, but most of the party was a fuzzy blur in my memory.

"I remember we left the party. It was later Saturday night, and Miss Grimweld had given me a curfew of midnight. I was surprised she let me out at all, so I didn't want to push my limits. Mark was driving me home, and at the time I didn't realize how drunk he was until he pulled over and tried to... feel me up."

She paused, and I waited for her to continue. I knew this had to be hard for her.

"When I refused him, he got angry. He decided to turn back onto the road, but since he was drunk... he lurched too far to the left and crashed right into a truck. Unfortunately for Mark, the truck was carry gasoline. I had been ejected from the car due to the impact of the truck-"

Flashbacks of the car accident that myself and my old friend Macey were in came back to me.

"But Mark had not. When the car burst into flames, he burned with it. It was sad to say that I already knew he was dead. I remembered laying there, watching the flames, unable to move, and wondering if I was going to die, but then I saw Ian's face. He lifted me up and carried me away."

She laughed. "It didn't register, at the time, that he was running incredibly fast."

I laughed with her.

"He and Jeanette saved me. They were near, and for that I was lucky. If they hadn't come along, I probably wouldn't be here right now," she told me.

I grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Since Mark's car had been taken by the flames, it would seem as if she burned with him," Ian said. "It allowed us to take her away from the city."

"I had taken Emi away myself, and my brother stayed behind for the funeral. He said I was 'too overcome with grief' to attend," Jeanette said.

"Oh, Emi..." I whispered. "What... What about Kari?"

Emi frowned. "She thinks I'm dead. She doesn't know, and she can't."

I hugged her tightly, and she hugged me back.

"So, since the funeral, we've been traveling the country," Emi murmured. "Jeanette and Ian are teaching me their diet, which is sticking strictly to animals."

"Just like my family," I said with a small smile, missing them already. I needed to get moving.

"Really?" Jeanette asked, her gold eyes lighting up. "Who is the leader of your coven?"

"His name is Carlisle," I told them. "My adopted father."

"How many people are in your coven?" Ian inquired.

"There are ten, including me," I said. "Eleven if you count my adoptive hybrid niece, Renesmee."

Jeanette's eyes widened.

"You're in _that _coven?" Jeanette whispered.

I chuckled, and Ian said, "Of course, Jeanette. Didn't you see them?"

I froze. "Wait. What? When did you see my family?"

"That little debacle you had in that clearing... We saw it all," Ian said. "You were absolutely brilliant! Do you have compulsion?"

"Um. Yes. I do," I muttered, taken by surprise by my sudden compliment.

Jeanette smiled. "Your red-headed friend from the guard-"

"Francesca?" I asked.

"Yes, I believe that was her name," Jeanette said with a chuckle. "She found out we were following her after Emi insisted that we did."

"Because I knew it was you," Emi added.

"So, Francesca begged us to watch over you because she and the young boy had to go," Jeanette told me. "She told me to tell you that when you woke up, 'you'd know what to do'... her words."

"You were unconscious for five days," Ian said.

"I was?" I questioned, my hand immediately moving to my smooth neck.

"Yes," Ian murmured. "Your arms and legs went together rather quickly, but your head and neck took a much longer time to heal."

"Just... Wow," I whispered. "I'm glad everything... well, that everything worked out."

"Did you die on purpose or something?" Emi asked me.

I nodded. "It's part of a plan that I have."

"Was using your power part of that plan, or was that just spontaneous?" Emi inquired with a mischievous smile.

"_That_ was a _big_ part of the plan," I said.

"Your power is just so cool!" Emi exclaimed. "Make me do something. That would be awesome!"

I chuckled. "Something funny?"

"Yes, yes, and yes!" she cheered, clapping her hands together.

I raised my eyebrows and sent my command. Emi suddenly sashayed over to Jeanette and swooped her into her arms.

"What's… happening?" Emi asked in between fits of giggles. Jeanette laughed along with her.

"Bollocks!" Ian shouted, and I laughed at his choice of words. "This is phenomenal!"

I made Emi stop, and she and Jeanette burst into giggles once more.

"Emi, you should show Alex what you can do," Ian prompted.

"Not before you show her what you and Jeanette can do!" Emi shouted, a grin spreading across her face.

"You _all_ have powers?" I asked.

"Yes, we do," Jeanette said. "Would you like to see?"

I nodded, and Ian walked up next to her. They exchanged a smile, and in the next moment…

I was slowly _rising_ off the ground.

My eyes widened. "Holy _crap_! Are you guys doing this?"

"Yeah, they are!" Emi answered for them. "Telekinesis! Isn't that cool?"

"That's incredible!" I shouted, still in midair.

The two of them lowered me back down, and Jeanette said, "We can both use the ability individually, but it's stronger when we work together."

"Since we're twins, we have a strong connection through the power," Ian added.

"It's an amazing power!" I said. "Gosh, it really blows mine out of the water."

"I feel your power would be useful in an awful lot more situations," Jeanette replied.

"Well, yours is definitely a good ability for when it comes to a fight," I said with a laugh.

"True, true," Ian chuckled.

"Emi, now show Alex your power," Jeanette said to her, giving her a nudge with her elbow.

"Alright," Emi muttered with a shrug, "but it's not as good as yours."

"I'm sure it's really cool," I reassured her. "C'mon, show me."

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Suddenly, I noticed something on her scalp. A portion of her brown hair turned midnight black, and the color spread down all of her hair. When the color reached the end, the locks grew down from her shoulders to her waist. It was like a cascading black waterfall.

Her figure changed as well. Her body became more curved, and she grew about an inch. I watched her face, and her round eyes became almond-shaped. Her little nose became slightly larger and more pointed.

She had completely changed her appearance. Emi still had the beauty of a vampire, but she looked nothing like herself.

When Emi opened her eyes, she asked, "So. What do you think?"

"Wow…" I murmured.

"Is that all you can say?" she asked with a giggle.

"Can you change your eye and skin color, too?" I inquired.

"'Course I can," she said, and then her eyes went from red to brown and her skin became darker so she wasn't so unnaturally pale.

"I can change myself to not look like a vampire, but my skin still sparkles in the sunlight," she said with a roll of her eyes. "Nothing will seem to make _that_ go away."

I laughed, and her face lit up.

"Oh, your laugh reminded me of something!" she said excitedly. "I can change my voice, too!"

"You can?" I asked, bewildered.

"You bet!" she chirped, and sure enough, her voice was higher than before.

"Wow, Emi… don't hate your power," I told her. "I think it's great."

She giggled. "Thanks!"

"We discovered her power when the three of us were racing one day," Ian said. "We may have… cheated a bit. We lifted her off the ground, and she got so mad that her hair changed color."

"Red hair sprouted from my roots!" Emi said.

"And later, as she was practicing with this power, we found that she can change the appearance of someone as well," Jeanette added.

"All I need to do is put my hand on their arm. I think that's great! I can really deceive some people," Emi said with a mischievous smile.

My world seemed to stop. I remembered the piece of folded-up paper in my pocket, and so I pulled it out. I reread the next step Francesca had scrawled down, familiarizing myself with it once more.

_Things are about to get tricky now,_ she wrote. _It's time to start searching. You need to find some information on the Volturi. Travel around the globe, talk to vampires, and see if you can find something _big_ you can use against them. I'm not sure what there is to find, but there's got to be something. I'm sure you'll find it. But heed this warning… lay low. You wouldn't want word going around that Alex Cullen is still alive. Disguise yourself, create a fake name, do _something_ to protect yourself. You're clever, though. I know you'll think of something._

The perfect opportunity had risen. What better way to disguise myself that to change my voice, my eyes, and the rest of my appearance?

"Emi, would you be able to help me with something?" I asked her, tearing my gaze from my paper.

"What is it?" she asked.

"When you change someone's appearance, does it slowly wear off?" I questioned.

She shook her head. "It only wears off when I _make_ it wear off."

Then it would be perfect. _She could help by making_- realization washed over me. I was ready for her assistance, but eventually I would need to change back. How would I be able to get her to where I needed at the time I needed? I had no way to contact her.

"Do you need me to change you, Alex?" she asked.

"Well, yes, but…" I muttered.

"But what?"

I sighed. "I would need some way to contact you when I needed you. I don't have a cell-phone or anything… anymore."

God only knows what Aro did with my phone. It was probably locked up somewhere in Volterra or destroyed. I suspected the latter.

I saw Jeanette reach into her pocket and pull out a smart phone. She held it out to me.

"Take it," she insisted. "Ian has one, and if you ever need us, you can contact us. His number is in the contacts."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Of course," she said. "I have faith that you will take good care of it."

"Thank you, Jeanette," I whispered, and she handed me my phone. I slipped it in my back-pocket. I needed to buy a bag or something, because with these new pants I was running out of room to carry everything. I was grateful, though, that when Aro ripped me apart only my clothes had been ruined.

"Oh, and don't forget these," Ian said, reaching into the leather jacket he was wearing and pulling out something. It was my sunglasses.

"I almost forgot about these," I told him with a smile. "Thanks, Ian."

"You know what, you might as well have my jacket," he said, slipping it off of his body.

"Ian, I can't just take your jacket…" I muttered, but he handed to me anyway.

"Oh put a sock in it and just take it," he said. "You need it more than I do."

I pulled it on me. It was a little big, but not horribly so. It was comfortable, and had two large pockets on the inside. _Perfect_.

I put on my sunglasses, and Emi said, "I must admit, Alex. You look badass."

I laughed, took off the sunglasses, and put them in one of the pockets on the inside of the jacket. "Well, now I need you to make me look like a different badass."

"What do you want me to change?" she asked.

"Just my face, hair, and voice," I told her.

"How do you want to look?"

"Surprise me."

Emi smiled. "With pleasure."

I watched her close her eyes and gently place her hand on my arm. My scalp started to tingle, and out of the corner of my eye I saw a lot of body come to the hair that was now turning as black as Emi's had. My face started to tingle, and I felt my pointed chin spread out. I would think it would be painful, but it was not. My nose tingled, and I felt it go from being sloped slightly downward to being sloped upward. My mouth seemed to spread out as well, and I saw my vision shift slightly as my eyes changed.

"There. Done," Emi said, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a compact and handed it to me.

"I incorporated your sisters and mother into your appearance," she said.

I could see how she did that. My hair had the beauty and wave of Rosalie's while it was the color of Alice's. My chin became a slight cleft chin, which was like Rosalie's. My eyes were large and shining like Bella's, even though they were red. I also had Bella's well-defined cheekbones.

"Now, I think this will make you happy," Emi said. "Smile for me."

I did so, and when I did… I had Esme's dimples.

"Wow..." I giggled, and I was shocked when I did. It sounded like tinkling bells. Just like Alice. My voice was _a lot_ higher.

"Thank you, Emi," I said. "There's just one more thing I need. A new name."

"A new name?" she asked. "Why?"

"I need to lay low," I told her. "No one but you three and Francesca can know that I'm still alive."

"A new name, huh?" Jeanette asked, and I nodded.

"Your last name could be Collins," Emi suggested. "It sounds a bit like Cullen, but nobody would suspect it."

I giggled. "Sounds good. All I need now is a first name."

"Amelia," Ian said simply.

"Amelia," I repeated. "It's pretty and it begins with an A... but why?"

"I'm a fan of etymology, which is the study of the origin of words," Ian told me. "It also applies to names. I think the meaning of Amelia will suit you for your journey."

"What does it mean?" I asked.

"It means work," he said. "You have a lot of work ahead of you, don't you Alex?"

I smiled. "You have no idea."

"Then we better not be keeping you," he said. "Good luck on your travels, Amelia Collins."

"We'll be hearing from you in the future, I hope," Jeanette added.

"We _better_ hear from you," Emi teased.

I nodded. "I promise. Thank you all, so much."

And with that, I was off to my first location, thanks to a tip from Francesca.

Romania, here I come.

**-oOo-**

**If she's going to Romania, I bet you can figure out who she may be talking to... Hope you liked this chapter! Please leave me a review and let me know! **


	26. World Tour

**Author's Note: I do not own Twilight. Twilight and all of the characters are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. **

**Many thanks to my lovely reviewers- emmettlover4everandalways, misaai, caseyrn12, victoria cullen 30, immortalroxtar, Cutest Sarah, JB'sVampire, IWonderWhatIShouldBeCalled, and CloudyNight!**

**I'm soooooooo sorry for taking so long to update! I've been so busy lately.**

**For all of you with a story out there, are you getting your emails from FanFiction (Carbon Copy, Review alerts, etc…)? I'm not getting ANY… you guys are reviewing and I have no idea, so I have to go check the story's review page every day! ;) I just want to know if I'm not the only one suffering from lack of emails ;) Ok, rant over. Here's the next chapter!**

_Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father_

_Run for your children, for your sisters and brothers_

_Leave all your love and your longing behind_

_You can't carry it with you if you want to survive._

-Florence + the Machine, _Dog Days Are Over_

**chapter 26**

**october 24th, 2013**

**-oOo-**

It became the next day after I traveled over the Atlantic Ocean in yet another plane and landed in the airport in Bucharest, Romania. Once I left the airport, I hailed a taxi. Along with Francesca's suggestion of where to travel, she had given me an address.

_This will just get you away from the airport_, she wrote. _After that, you are on your own. The names of the two vampires you should search for are Vladimir and Stefan._

I _felt _alone. All I wanted to do was run home, and see everyone. I wanted to show them that I was still alive. It wasn't all that simple, though.

I stuffed the piece of paper inside of my jacket and sighed inwardly. All I had to go off of was two names. Who knows how many Vladimirs and Stefans are in Romania? I had no idea what the popular names were here.

The taxi driver took me to a restaurant not too far from the airport. It seemed Francesca kept sending me to places that served food. Was there an underlying message in that? Was she reminding me to hunt? I thought about it, and realized I hadn't hunted for a while. My throat became dry just by the thought.

After slipping into the woods behind the restaurant and taking down a doe, I took a seat on a boulder and pulled out the phone Jeanette had given me. It was an iPhone, very similar to the one I had. I pulled up the maps app and switched to the geography mode, scanning all of Romania. I looked for large, isolated manors that appeared out of the way from most of society. If the rest of the vampires in the world were like my family, their homes would be tucked away. I had no idea how accurate any of the images were, but I figured it could give me something to branch my searching off of.

I translated a few phrases on the phone so I could ask questions in Romanian. The most important phrase, I thought, was, "Hello, I am looking for a Vladimir and Stefan", which roughly translated to, "Buna ziua. Caut un Vladimir şi Ştefan." I figured out what yes and no was, then leapt up from where I sat to begin my search.

It was hours of traveling, and many houses visited. Many doors knocked on. I asked my question, and sometimes I got a polite no, while other times... I had a door slammed in my face or was yelled at in Romanian. I couldn't understand a word that was said, so I just moved on.

The sun had already set, and I was nearing yet another secluded house in a wooded area. I ran along, my feet quietly hitting the ground, as I approached the tree line. Standing in front of me was a towering stone home that could pass as a small castle. It was INSANELY huge.

As I began to move close, the two large front doors flew open and a man with paper-white skin and ashy-blonde hair strolled out. His head turned in my general direction, calling out something I couldn't understand.

Suddenly, he was in front of me. _Vampire_.

He gave me a wicked smile, and I could see his bright white teeth. He was my height. His ruby-red eyes studied me as he grabbed my chin and tilted my head from side to side. I grabbed his wrist and moved to pull his hand off my face, but he did so before I had the chance. Once more, he muttered something I couldn't understand.

"Buna ziua. Caut un Vladimir şi Ştefan," I told him, repeating the phrase I had already said so many times that day.

The man rolled his eyes. "I take it you do not speak Romanian, because that was the strongest accent I think I have ever heard in my days."

"Yes... No, I don't speak Romanian," I stammered.

"I am not going to hurt you, so you can wipe that look of pure horror off of your face," he said with a chuckle.

I crossed my arms and looked down.

"But if you are looking for a Vladimir and Stefan, you have found them," he told me. "I am Vladimir."

My eyes shot up to his face.

"And who are _you_?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I'm... Amelia. Amelia Collins," I said, almost forgetting to use my alias.

I watched his face. He seemed to be studying me once more, and for a moment I was afraid that he had some sort of power... and could see my thoughts. Could he see right through me? Could he see that my looks, my voice, and my name were all a lie?

"Amelia," he repeated. "I do believe we have not met. Come. I must introduce you to Stefan, and then you will explain as to why you are here."

I inwardly sighed with relief as he began to walk towards his miniature castle. I almost followed him, but then I wondered if I could trust him. Was he who he said he was? He turned and looked back at me.

"Do not worry," he reassured me. "We do not hurt strangers... Without a reason to."

I stared at him as he began to walk once more. I needed any information about the Volturi that I could get, so I followed him into his home.

When I first stepped inside, I was in awe. The foyer was as exquisite as many of the rooms in the Volturi's castle. The floors were a grey marble, and the ceiling towered high. Expensive looking tapestries decorated the dark walls, along with many paintings and portraits.

"Stefan," Vladimir called out. "A moment, please. We have a visitor."

Stefan appeared in front of us within seconds. He had the same paper-white skin and red eyes, but was slightly shorter than Vladimir and I and had dark brown hair.

"And who would this be?" Stefan asked.

"My name is Amelia," I said. "Amelia Collins."

"You are American, I presume? I detect your accent," he said.

I nodded.

"Enough getting to know one another," Vladimir muttered. "What we _really_ need to know is what you're doing here."

"I am in need of some information, and I was wondering if you could help me," I said.

"What _kind_ of information?" Stefan questioned.

I paused for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to word this. "I need you to tell me everything you know about the Volturi-"

Stefan suddenly lunged forward, grabbing me by the neck and hoisting me into the air.

"Why do you need to know about the Volturi?" he shouted. "What do you want? Are you working for the Volturi? Are they planning another ambush and you're just a decoy?"

"No!" I gasped. "I'm not working for them, I swear!"

"I am not so sure I can believe you," he snarled.

I looked him right in the eyes. "Let me GO!"

His eyes glazed over, and his grip automatically loosened from my neck. I slipped from his grasp and landed in a crouch on the floor.

"What in the world?" Vladimir breathed. Stefan shook his head, and a look of confusion spread across his face when he released he was no longer holding me.

"Please, I just need your help," I said, defensively holding out my hands. "If you would just listen-"

"What did you do to Stefan?" Vladimir asked me.

"It... It's my power," I murmured, "but honestly, that's not important-"

"I find that important," Stefan interjected. "What is it? Some sort of mind-control?"

"Compulsion," I said simply.

"Fascinating," Stefan said. "What an incredible power."

"Anyway," I muttered. "Why in the heck did you think I was a spy for the Volturi?"

"We all have our reasons," Vladimir said. "Why do you need to know so much about the Volturi?"

"We all have our reasons," I repeated with a sneer.

Vladimir chuckled. "Cheeky girl."

"She would have been a treat during that confrontation with the Volturi and the Cullens..." Stefan murmured.

My ears perked up, but I tried to subdue my excitement. They knew my family?

"The Cullens? Who are the Cullens?" I inquired.

"The Olympic Coven," Vladimir said, and when I didn't say anything he added, "haven't you heard of them?"

"I can't say I have," I lied.

"Exactly how long have you been a vampire?" Stefan questioned with a scoff.

I honestly had to think about it for a moment. "About two and half months, I believe."

"Well, that explains that," Vladimir said. "A child was born, a half-human, half-vampire hybrid, that the Volturi believed was an immortal child. You _do_ know the rules about them, correct?"

"Yes," I muttered with a nod.

"Anyway," Stefan said. "The Volturi came, meaning to destroy the child, but Vladimir and I _know_ they just came to try and take three members of the Olympic Coven who had useful gifts. However, one of those coven members brought another hybrid along and proved to the Volturi that the child was no danger. They had no reason to wage a war and stay, so they retreated."

"There was no fight, unfortunately," Vladimir told me, "which disappointed us, but at least we got to watch them run away like frightened hounds. _That_ was worth it."

"So it seems you hate the Volturi. Why?" I inquired.

"For ruining everything we once had," Vladimir snarled. "We used to be the rulers, not them. We used to be in control, not them."

What had the Volturi done to overthrow these two? Had Vladimir and Stefan been ruling alone? I studied the two of them. They didn't seem very intimidating to me.

"When were you all ruling?" I asked.

Vladimir waved his hand. "Oh, what does it matter? Why waste my time telling this story to you?"

"She might as well be informed of the history of the world she is now a part of," Stefan said to him, then turned back to me. "We ruled with a large coven and guard, much like the Volturi does now. They copied a lot of things from us, actually."

He gritted his teeth before he continued.

"We ruled successfully, when the Volturi gathered a guard of talented vampires. They attacked us and burnt down our castles, killing off all the members of our coven, including..."

He trailed off, and I wondered who he was thinking about. Was it someone close to him? A sibling? A mate?

"Since then, we've sworn vengeance against the Volturi," Vladimir said, "for destroying everything that was ours."

"How long did all of this happen?" I questioned.

"Thousands and thousands of years ago," Vladimir told me.

"And what was _your_ rule like?" I inquired.

"Very different from how they rule now," Stefan muttered, crossing his arms. "Our coven didn't _hide_ what we were from humans. We didn't pose as saints, like they do now."

The Volturi posed as saints? I had no idea about that.

Stefan obviously saw the confusion on my face. "Yes. Saint Marcus Day? In Volterra? Haven't you heard of it?"

I shook my head.

"Anyway," Vladimir interjected, "we ruled over all the human beings. They served us, fed us, _and feared_ us. Some tried to fight us with armies, but it just resulted in their slaughter."

I tried to hide a shiver picturing hundreds of humans waging a battle against the large Romanian coven, only to be fed on and destroyed instantly. What would the world be like now if vampires didn't have to hide themselves? Would I even be _alive_? Would Carlisle have even survived to create our family? That thought absolutely terrified me. As much as I hated to admit it, I agreed with the Volturi on keeping the existence of vampires a secret.

I looked at Vladimir and Stefan, standing before me, and all I could see were two bloodthirsty, power-hungry vampires. They reminded me too much of Aro. From what they told me, if they even had a sliver of opportunity to attack the Volturi and regain power, they would do so without a moment of hesitation. Only bad things could come from them being in power.

I mentally sent commands to both of them. They were too much of a liability.

"Well, I really appreciate you two talking with me," I said. "I'll be going on my way now."

"That is it?" Vladimir asked.

"That's all you want to hear?" Stefan questioned.

"That's all I think I can get," I said. "Thank you for your time."

As I began to walk away, Vladimir said, "Wait a moment."

I looked over my shoulder.

"I feel as if you're doing more than just 'learning' about the Volturi," he muttered. "What are you _really_ doing?"

"Like you said earlier. Everyone has their reasons," I murmured, and then started to stroll off once more.

I was close to the front doors when Stefan called out.

"If you're looking for some dirty little secrets of the Volturi, start digging," he said. "We don't know what's happened within that small exclusive city, but we would surely like to know."

I turned back to the two of them. "I'll do just that."

And on that note, I left their abode. I needed to learn even more of the Volturi's past. What _had_ gone on within Volterra's walls?

I went once more into the forest... and ran.

That was what made up the majority of the next two months running. When I wasn't traveling from country to country (carefully avoiding Italy, I might add), I was talking to vampires I came across. I searched for them in public places- malls, clubs, and bars. When I went to bars and clubs, I just used compulsion on the bouncers to make them think I was old enough to get in. Some places I was actually already allowed.

When I talked to the vampires, I learned things about them, like their backstories and personalities. Most of them were just wandering nomads, preying on humans in the public places, luring them away to feed. There was a big part of me that hoped that by talking to these vampires and keeping them occupied, I was saving lives.

A lot of the vampires didn't have gifts, which frustrated me. I was looking for talented ones. When I found out they didn't have gifts, I politely tried to get away from them to search for others. The ones that did, though, had pretty basic ones. Enhanced speed and strength were common. Some of them, though, who didn't seem like completely evil beings, I asked for their cell phone numbers- if they had one. I wanted to be able to contact them, if need be.

One cold November night, in a bar in Germany, I met a guy named Christhard. I knew he was a vampire, so I sat in the seat adjacent to him at the bar. What I didn't know was that he was a mind-reader, just like Edward.

"You have got a lot going on in that head of yours, yes?" he asked me with a thick German accent. For a split second I panicked, but he reassured me that I had nothing to be a afraid of. He let me know why he was at the bar- he didn't like what he was, so he hunted rapists and other people that were going to harm humans. Personality-wise, he was so like Edward that it was almost unreal. However, with his blonde hair, red eyes, and round face, Christhard looked nothing like Edward.

"I see the faces of the man and the people you love," he told me after a moment of silence between us. "You are working hard to get to them, yes? I know that you miss them."

Before I knew it, I had broken down crying. I had kept up the facade that I was some different person, but the weight of everything I was doing came crashing down. Christhard was kind to me, though. He had a small studio apartment near the bar, and he let me come back to his place.

"I have not ever had visitors here. I have been alone for many, many years," he said to me. "It is nice to have someone to talk to. It is nice to have a friend."

That's what we became... friends. He let me freshen up at his home and I stayed the night. The next morning was a rainy day. Christhard showed me stores in the town, and with the money Francesca had given me I bought a peacoat. It helped me blend in with all the humans.

Luckily, Christhard had a little cell phone and I stored his number. With a hug, I said my goodbyes to him and was on my way.

As I continued my travels for the rest of November and well into December, I thought of him along with my family. He knew the real me. He got to see through my disguise. I was glad I had met him. He had given me extra strength, and that helped me to keep going.

I kept searching, in vain, well into December. I felt like I was getting nowhere as Christmas closely approached, and I found myself daydreaming. When would Esme be putting up the tree? How would they decorate it? What presents would everyone be exchanging? I found myself wishing that Francesca was here just so that I could see what my family was doing... but then I felt incredibly selfish.

It was December twenty-third, a Monday night, as I wandered through the streets of London. I was making my way to the outskirts of town when I was hit by a stroke of luck. It seemed almost _too_ convenient.

That was the night I met Tiffany.

She was a dark-skinned beauty with straight, shoulder-length black hair and piercing red eyes. Her power was what captivated me the most, though.

"MAKE ME DO SOMETHING!" she shouted excitedly after I told her my power.

My fake high laugh rang out. The two of us had taken a run into the forest, and no one was around for miles. I looked Tiffany in the eyes and made her leap up into the nearest tree.

"Whoa," she breathed. "I couldn't control that. I just felt myself leaping up into the tree!"

I found myself laughing again. "So... do you have a power?"

She jumped down from the tree and stared at me for a moment.

"Well... I know that you were born on July 18th, grew up in foster care for most of your life, and were adopted by a vampire family at the age of thirteen," she said.

I looked back at her, wide-eyed and dumbfounded. "How... how did you know all of-?"

"Ta-da!" she cheered, spinning around in a circle. "I can see the past! Isn't that cool?"

It was like everything came full circle for me that night. That was the night I learned more about the Volturi than I ever thought possible. That was the night where I was forever in Tiffany's debt.

That was also the night I called Emi.

"Hey, I'm going to be needing your assistance now," I told her. "Can you meet me in Rome as soon as possible?"

-**oOo-**

**If Alex is going back to Italy, then... What? What is going to happen? You'll just have to wait to find out!**


	27. Climax

**Author's Note: I do not own Twilight. Twilight and all of the characters are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**I'm falling back into the really bad habit of taking forever to update, but between my grandfather being very, very ill and having some important things going on right now, my life has been pretty hectic. So, I'm very sorry for the delay. I'd like to thank Cutest Sarah, victoria cullen30, caseyrn12, IWonderWhatIShouldBeCalled, immortalroxtar, JB'sVampire, and Cloudy Night for reviewing. I am so thankful that you all have stuck with me :) **

**I'm hoping you all like this chapter, and that I give it enough justice… Read on, lovelies. **

_Holy water cannot help you now_

_Thousand armies couldn't keep me out_

_I don't want your money_

_I don't want your crown_

_See I've come to burn your kingdom down_

_Holy water cannot help you now_

_See I've come to burn your kingdom down_

_And no rivers and no lakes can put the fire out_

_I'm gonna raise the stakes, I'm gonna smoke you out_

-Florence + the Machine, _Seven Devils_

**chapter 27**

**december 26th, 2013**

**-oOo-**

I stood just a few miles from the walls of Volterra. Snow flurries were beginning to fall around me, landing in my hair and on the ground. A thin white layer was beginning to stick to the grass.

I stared up at the grey sky and then looked around at my surroundings. No one was approaching me from any directions, and there was no sign of Emi. We had arranged to meet at this spot at noon today, so she could spend Christmas with Jeanette and Ian. How I wished I could have spent Christmas with _my_ family.

I pulled the smart phone out of a messenger bag I had bought with Christhard. It had all of my belongings- minus Francesca's piece of paper and my jewelry- inside: the money, the phone, and Ian's jacket. Those are possessions anyone could have. The jewelry and paper could give away who I _really_ was.

According to the phone's clock, it was eleven fifty-eight. Emi should be here soon.

I adjusted my sunglasses and tucked a strand of my midnight-black hair behind my ear. Even after two months, I still haven't gotten used to my appearance. I was still momentarily confused when I held a lock of black hair in between my fingers or heard myself talk.

The snowflakes falling were growing in size, and I checked the cell phone again. It was past noon now. Where was Emi?

"Amelia!" a voice cried out, and my question was answered. Emi approached me, wearing a pair of oversized sunglasses and a light blue trench coat. She smiled brightly.

"Hey... Amelia," she said with a giggle.

"Hey," I replied.

She gestured to her sunglasses. "Check these out! Aren't they _cute_? They're Gucci! Can you believe that? Ian gave them to me for Christmas, and Jeanette gave me this coat. It's _Burberry_! I've never had anything this nice before."

I gave her a smile. "They're very nice."

"Oh, where are my manners?" she asked. "I'm just bragging about my stuff. Here, I got you something, too."

"You... You did?" I inquired quietly as she reached into her pocket. She pulled out a pin, and it was a rose painted a brilliant red.

"I hope you like it," she said, putting it in my hand.

I wrapped my arms around her for a hug. "Thank you." I stuck it in my pocket with my other jewelry.

"Aw, you're welcome," she cooed. "Merry Christmas! I'm sorry that you couldn't... well, that you couldn't be with your family."

I sighed. "If this works, then I'll be seeing them soon. I'm really glad you came, Emi."

She smiled. "Hey, what are friends for? Now, I'm guessing you need me to change you back, right? What is the plan, exactly?"

* * *

><p>Emi and I strolled through the city's gates. Not many people were in the city, which probably had to do with the snow that was now becoming heavier. It was good for Emi, though. I linked arms with her to try to keep her close, but she was resisting the small amount of humans here fairly well. I was impressed with the amount of self-control she had.<p>

I scanned the area but saw no signs of Felix and Demetri... yet. As Emi and I made our way towards the alley that held the grate to the castle's underground tunnels, I knew that the guard would be alerted to the presence of two vampires in their city. Aro would be curious. He would want to see us.

If only he knew that one of the vampires coming to see him was supposed to be dead.

When the two cloaked figures approached us, Emi's grip on my arm tightened.

"Hello," I said firmly to them.

"If you ladies don't mind, will you come with us?" Felix asked. "There is someone who is very curious and would like to meet you."

"Would this person be Aro?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. "I've been told about his guard and my friend... Emily and I, believe we have some powers that will be of _great_ interest to him."

Emily was Emi's actual name. It felt weird calling her by it. Nobody really knew about it, because she _hated_ the name. I thought it was cute, though.

Felix chuckled. "Oh, you do? Well, then by all means, follow us. I'm sure Aro will be thrilled to meet you."

I smiled brightly. "I certainly hope so."

I tried to hide the sneer from my voice.

Emi and I, arms still linked, followed Demetri and Felix to the alley. Felix pulled the grate out of the ground.

"If you ladies don't mind," he murmured, pointing to the opening.

I approached the edge and then leapt down into the darkness without any assistance. Demetri came behind me.

"You're a spunky one," he said with a cheeky smile. "Just what the guard needs."

I chuckled and let him walk ahead of me. Emi came up beside me, and pulled off her sunglasses. I took them from her, and placed her pair along with mine in my messenger bag.

We made our way through the castle, and Emi admired the architecture as we traveled through. It was nothing new to me, but I pretended to be interested none the less.

Felix flung open the throne room doors, and I was in luck: everyone was there. Aro, Marcus, Caius, Alec, Jane, Francesca, Belvedere, Xavier, Chelsea, Heidi, and everyone else were lined up to observe.

"Why, hello there!" Aro said in a cheerful way, getting up from his throne to approach us.

_Don't read our minds_, I sent to him. Better be safe than sorry.

"My name is Aro, and welcome to Volterra!" he murmured to Emi and I. Felix and Demetri moved off to the sides of the room.

"I heard stories of your powerful guard," I told him, "and my friend Emily and I were just _DYING_ to come here. We have gifts we'd like to share."

"How wonderful!" Aro said, clapping his hands together. "Now, do tell me, what is _your_ name?"

"My name is Amelia," I said with a smile. "Amelia Collins."

He chuckled. "What a beautiful name. Please, show us what you can do."

"With pleasure," I murmured, and he moved back to sit in his throne. "Emily, why don't you go first?"

She nodded, stepping forward slightly. I looked at all of the guard members whose gazes were directly fixed on Emi. Nobody paid attention to me...

Except for Francesca. She was staring right at me. I held her gaze for a moment before I looked back to Emi. Could Francesca tell it was me? Had she been watching me these past two months to know I wasn't who I seemed?

"Dearest Emily, what is it that you can do?" Aro asked her in a sickly sweet voice.

"I can change my appearance," she said quietly.

Aro's face lit up. "You don't say. Would you mind giving us a demonstration?"

She nodded. "Sure... But, I must tell you. This... This isn't how I _really_ look."

_Good improvisation, Emi,_ I thought. _Keep your identity a secret._

"Fascinating," Aro breathed. Caius gave him a wary look, and I assumed it had to do with the fact that Aro hadn't probed our minds. _Good._ Let Caius be confused.

Emi began to shift right before our eyes. She shrunk down by a few centimeters, and her hair started to recoil back into her scalp. It spurt into a beach-blonde, spiky bob. It gave her an edgy look, which I had to admit I liked. Her eyes, nose, and mouth became smaller, along with her head. It made her seem much more petite.

Many of the Volturi, including Aro, watched in awe.

"Well, that's what I can do," Emi said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"How USEFUL," Aro said. "What a delight! Amelia, why don't you show us your power now?"

"I'll be _glad_ to," I said with a bright, fake smile, stepping forward so I was standing next to Emi. I pulled my bag off my shoulder and tossed it to her. She plopped it down on the floor.

I looked at every guard member in the room. It was the moment of reckoning.

My commands were sent to everyone in the room, minus Emi. _Freeze in your spots. Do not move. Do not use your powers on Emi or me. _

"Now, can everyone do me a favor and clap three times?" I asked, placing my hand on Emi's shoulder. That was the signal to change my voice.

I watched the Volturi's faces fill with confusion and aggravation. They couldn't move a muscle. They were now like living statues. Yes, they could move their faces, but that was the extent of their movement.

"We cannot move," Aro said. "What kind of power is this?"

"A very special one, Aro," I sneered. I saw the realization cross on his face when he heard my voice. Numerous snarls were released from the guard.

"It helps me with a lot of things," I jeered. "For example, with assistance from another, it helps me to create a plan that helps me come back to life once destroyed."

"Impossible!" Aro shouted.

"Oh, it's very possible," I said with a laugh as I morphed back to myself. "You know how you had that _urge_ to not attack my family and send Francesca away with my body? Yeah, that was all because of me, Aro. I _wanted_ you to kill me. It was all part of my plan... A plan that was genius, if I do say so myself. It obviously had you fooled. I can't take all the credit, though. I had a lot of help from a good friend of mine."

His eyes blazed with such a fury that I had never seen before.

"You've done wrong to me, my family, and so many others. I'm just here to return the favor," I told him.

I began to walk towards Chelsea, Aro's gaze following me.

"What are you doing?" he asked frantically.

I was eye to eye with Chelsea. She stared me down, but she couldn't move.

"Sorry about this, Charmion," I said.

Her eyes widened.

"Oh, yeah, I know your real name," I muttered. "I know a _lot_ more than you think. I know some pretty powerful people."

With a grimace, I tore off her head. She was gone.

"_What have you done_?" Aro screamed.

"Things are a little more fair now, Aro," I spat, dragging Chelsea's body forward to the middle of the throne room. "Now we can see who is truly loyal to you."

He growled as I turned and looked at Emi, who tossed me the lighter I asked her to bring. I tucked it into my pants pocket for later. It wouldn't be a good idea to light a fire yet. The smell of smoke would attract Corin and the wives.

"We all know how loyal Jane and Alec are," I murmured, approaching Alec. His brow was furrowed and his eyes almost unfocused, so I knew he was trying to use his power... to no avail.

His head was disconnected in a second. His body joined Chelsea's.

Jane let out an agonizing moan, which was surprising to me. That seemed to be the only sign of weakness she's ever exhibited.

I walked in front of her.

"How dare you!" she screeched. "You vile _bitch_!"

"You've caused so much pain to others, sometimes for no reason at all," I told her. "How does it feel to be on the receiving end?"

She growled at me.

"This is for all the people you've tortured," I spat. "This is for Esme. This is for Rosalie and Marcella and me, too."

With a sick sense of pleasure, I ripped Jane's head off. I felt these deeds shouldn't be making me as happy as I was. Was I becoming the sadistic one?

Jane's body flew on top of her brother's. Out of pure coincidence, her hand land right on top of his. I couldn't help but stare at the picture.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts, and then looked back to Aro, who was visibly getting nervous.

I approached Xavier, who looked absolutely terrified. His face didn't seem right. His red and black hair just made him _look_ tougher, and I suppose I was just used to the evil grin he always had.

"You disgust me," I told him.

"What have I ever done to you?" he questioned.

I scoffed. "It's not what you've done to me... It's what you did to poor Marcella. Wiping her memory and then using her as a pawn that you _knew_ you were going to eventually kill. She was just a kid."

"That... It wasn't my idea!" he said frantically. "I was just given orders-"

I didn't want to hear him anymore. His broken body joined the growing pile on the floor.

"_Enough_!" Aro screamed. "No more! You have _no right_ to be destroying-"

"Oh, Aro, easy now," I sneered. "I'm just being fair to all the other people you've destroyed. Think of that. They _deserve_ to be avenged."

He and Caius snarled. Marcus even had emotion on his face, too... But it wasn't fury...

"It's a shame, really, how many people you've killed, Aro," I muttered. "I mean, there's one certain person you've killed that just _proves_ how cruel you are."

I could see Aro begin to really panic, to which I smirked and turned to Marcus.

"Marcus, from the first time I stepped into Volterra four years ago, I noticed that you were different from your brothers," I said to him. "You were quieter... Didn't seem to react too much."

I stole a glance at Aro. He was now trying, but failing, to hide his discomfort.

"Now I know why," I told him. "I'm very sorry about Didyme."

Didyme was Aro's sister and Marcus's wife long ago. Marcus and Didyme were madly in love and were planning on leaving the Volturi to be together. However, because of Marcus's powerful ability, this made one vampire unhappy…

Marcus's face became that empty mask again. "How do you know about Didyme?"

"I met a vampire who can see the past," I said. "I'm really sorry that she was murdered… and I'm especially sorry about who committed the awful crime."

"You know who killed her?" he questioned.

"You don't know?" I asked in an innocent voice.

"Alright, this all has gone too far," Aro interjected, trying to change the subject. "You will release us from your power at once-"

"_LET HER SPEAK, ARO!_" Marcus boomed.

Aro's eyes widened, along with Caius's and… well, pretty much all of the guard.

Marcus's gaze met mine. "Who killed her, Alex?"

"Marcus…" I sighed. "It was Aro."

The rage Aro had before was nothing compared to Marcus's face now. I myself was terrified by what I saw.

I removed the command from Marcus and he sprang forward, grabbing Aro by the neck and hoisting him in the air. Aro, still frozen, could not defend himself.

"Why?" Marcus growled between clenched teeth.

"You were too essential to the guard… We couldn't lose you," Aro whispered in fear.

"That is no excuse, you power-hungry fool! You gave us your blessing, but all this time…" Marcus snarled, and then paused. "Now you will face her same fate."

I stood there and watched as Marcus killed Aro… for good. He dismantled his body, piece by piece, and threw him into the pile of lifeless bodies that had formed in the middle of the room. All the pain and heartache he had felt over the last thousands of years spilled into what he was doing. As much as _I _wanted to kill Aro, I think Marcus needed this. In an almost sick sort of way, this was his closure.

Marcus moved on to Caius when he was done with Aro.

"You show mercy to no one?" Marcus asked, grabbing Caius by the neck like he did with Aro. "Fine then. I will show no mercy to you."

With that, two of the three leaders of the Volturi Coven were dead. Aro said I couldn't overthrow him, not even with help… but look how wrong he was.

Felix and Demetri were still behind Emi and I. Marcus took down Afton (who pretty much had no fight left in him after Chelsea was killed), Santiago, Renata, Heidi, and the majority of the guard, but then he began to move towards Francesca.

"Marcus, stop!" I screeched, and he halted.

I unfroze Francesca and she ran to stand next to me.

"Francesca did nothing wrong," I told him. "She's on my side… _Our_ side."

I looked back at Felix and Demetri, who were glancing between Marcus and me.

"They're on our side, too," I said to Marcus.

Felix and Demetri smiled at me.

"I knew I had a good reason for letting you pass me in the corridors," Felix said.

I laughed. "You two were some of the few people here who showed me compassion… even if it was only for a split second. The least I can do is let you live."

Demetri chuckled.

I looked back to Marcus, and he walked forward to me.

"The entire guard is deceased, spare a few," he said to me. "Do you _realize_ what you've caused? If word gets out that we only have this amount in our guard, they'll attack."

I gulped.

"Yet…" he murmured. "I do feel the need to thank you."

"What for?" I asked.

"For the first time in thousands of years, I have closure. It has always plagued my mind that I had no idea who killed my poor Didyme," he murmured. "But now I know, so thank you."

He began to move towards the doors. "Stay here, you all, if you do not mind. I have to go deal with the remaining beings in this castle."

I had a feeling he was referring to the wives.

"Wait, no, Belvedere!" Francesca shouted, but clasped her hand over her mouth the second the words came out. I looked at her, wide-eyed, and so did Marcus. Francesca's deaf claim had just gone out the window.

"You're not deaf," Marcus said simply.

I looked at her, and she sighed.

"It was a ploy to trick Aro. I've been deceiving him, in more ways than one," she whispered. "But please, just don't hurt Belvedere. He's an innocent child."

Marcus reached out and grabbed her hand, patting it.

"You have my word, cunning one," he told her, and with that he left the room.

When he was out of earshot, I turned to Francesca with a huge smile.

"I must say, the changing your appearance bit was a nice addition to the plan," Francesca said with a wink.

"I know, right?" I gushed. "Thank god for Emi!"

Emi laughed and Demetri glanced at Francesca.

"So you were the one that helped Alex escape?" he asked her.

She nodded, a small smile forming on her face.

After a moment of silence he said, "Wow... Impressive."

* * *

><p>It was obvious over the next few days that the Volturi was going to need new guard members. Marcus would be the lone ruler, and he, Demetri, Felix, Francesca, Emi, and I agreed that it would be wise to keep the laws the Volturi created. He promised he would be a fair and just ruler, unlike Aro. Marcus told us he wanted to be nothing like his brother-in-law. He saw what all that power and control did to Aro over time.<p>

We disposed of all the bodies of the former guard members, but never left the castle to keep all of this a secret for the time being. I called Christhard and told him that I needed his help. He arrived in Volterra a day later.

I decided to stay behind and use my power to help. Marcus was completely right, and when Francesca came up with the plan I never even thought of vampires coming in and destroying remaining guard members.

What we all decided to do was have Marcus, Christhard, Felix and I stay in the throne room. Francesca would guard the outside gates to the city, and Demetri would be in the alleyway. We had Emi call Ian and Jeanette, and with their assistance they would travel the world and find talented vampires to invite to the guard.

When Ian and Jeanette first arrived to Volterra, Marcus was fascinated by their telekinetic powers. He offered them, along with Emi, a spot in the new guard, but they politely declined. They wanted to stay with their friend that acted as their guardian. Marcus accepted this. He didn't push or demand them to join. He wasn't planning on finding some way to get them to join.

He was already better than Aro.

Emi changed me back to my fake appearance and kept her edgy new one before she left with Ian and Jeanette to recruit. Since I was still dead to my family, I needed to keep my identity a secret, because I was sure that _somehow_ word of Aro and Caius's downfall would reach them. Along with that, this is how I looked to many of the vampires I had met over the past two months...

Including Tiffany, who was the first person I called and invited to Volterra.

She was her bubble self when I spoke to her on the phone, but as soon as she walked through the throne doors she became another person. She was quiet, she was respectful, and she was professional.

Marcus drove a hard bargain. He told her that with working with him and the guard, she would be given a place to live, clothing, and other amenities. She would be there to help keep order in the vampire world.

"If you say that you will stay with us, I promise that I will give you no reason to leave," he had told her.

Tiffany accepted.

In the next several days, many other vampires showed up within Volterra's walls. Francesca led them to Demetri, who brought them into the throne room. As a precaution, I would freeze them in the middle of the room and Christhard would read their thoughts. If there had been any indication that they were going to attack Marcus or anyone else in the guard, they would be killed on the spot. Luckily, we only had to do that to two people.

There was a good sized group of vampires that joined the Volturi. The Russian brothers, Leonid and Aleksei. Leonid has super strength that rivaled Felix, and Aleksei could run even _faster_ than Edward.

Pauline, a French vampire, had a mental shield that was similar to Bella's but not nearly as powerful. She was a tiny little thing, turned at the age of sixteen like Emi, with big doe-like eyes and a curly brown bob.

I was beginning to worry that Marcus would want Christhard to stay in the guard, and I had no idea if Christhard would like to accept the offer. However, that worrying was put aside when Braulio, the buff Brazilian mind reader, came along. I almost laughed when Marcus asked him to join. I thought Edward's gift was unique, yet in the past two months I've met two other mind readers.

Ethan, from Australia, was incredibly surprising. He had a power that I hadn't even heard of before. It was similar to having a mental and physical shield, yet different at the same time. If someone tried to use their power on him, he repelled it and sent it right back. I found this out the hard way. When I tried to freeze him as he walked into the throne room, _I_ froze in place. Luckily I hadn't had the chance to command him to not use his power, or who knows what could've happened. I might have gotten stuck or something.

I think the most amazing yet completely frightening (in my personal opinion) power that we saw, though, was that of Letty from London. She looked to be about twenty, but with the amount of energy and joy she had when she skipped into the throne room, you would think that she was twelve. Letty had wavy, waist length hair that was golden-blonde with pink and blue streaks. You couldn't miss her in a crowd, it stood out so much.

Letty was very excited to show us what she could do. She let out a giggle and then suddenly... She was gone.

Someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around and there she was, right behind me. No, she didn't run there. She managed to _teleport_ there.

Letty transported herself back in front of us and clapped her hands together excitedly.

"I think I got this power because I love to travel. A lot. I've backpacked all over Britain, and I had planned to travel the world. So... What do you all think?" she asked. "May I join?"

Needless to say, Marcus obliged.

He was satisfied with who he picked out of the many that showed up. Marcus picked up a very diverse group of seven vampires, and his guard became a powerhouse.

Christhard left happily with a thank you from Marcus and a promise to me to keep in touch. Ian returned with Jeanette to get Emi, and she changed me back to the way I looked, along with herself. The guard was confused, especially Tiffany, so I explained that I had to keep my identity a secret due to many reasons... and I pretty much left it at that.

Francesca and I spoke with each other and told him that we were planning on leaving the following morning. Francesca needed to stay the night because Belvedere needed his sleep.

Marcus accepted Francesca's decision to remove herself from the guard. He said how strong her relationship was with Belvedere, and how she treated him like her own child. As for me, he knew I belonged with my family.

Calm spread over the castle that night. Tensions that had once been within the walls were gone.

It was the dawn of a new era of the Volturi and the vampire world.

**-oOo-**

**Well, there you have it. I worked super-duper hard on this chapter, and I hoped you liked it ;) Leave me a review and let me know! After this, there are only two more chapters and the epilogue... Wow. I can't believe these stories are coming to a close. It seems like just yesterday I was starting Esme's Girl...**


	28. Miss Patricia

**Author's Note: I do not own Twilight. Twilight and all of the characters are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**SCHOOL IS OFFICALLY DONE- YAY! That's means I'll have more time to write… even though I have a show this weekend and the next so I'm busy now :P**

**Thank you to my reviewers IWonderWhatIShouldBeCalled, Cutest Sarah, TinyButDangerous, caseyrn12, victoria cullen30, immortalroxtar, emmettlover4everandalways, Lexie, and CloudyNight, who are supermegafoxyawesomehot people (if you get this reference, I love you)! **

_This is the final journey_

_To the edge of ourselves_

_This is the beginning of the end_

_Took her hand_

_And walked her through_

_Took her hand_

_And walked her into that blue_

_Into that blue…_

_So we walked on water and crossed the fields_

_Of burning sand_

_But the further we went,_

_The more we became what we couldn't understand_

_I was drifting further away_

_She was lost like a breeze in a hurricane_

_A hurricane…_

_You know that I've got you in my bloodstream_

_You know that no matter how loud I scream,_

_I still hear your voice in my head_

_You are the fire burning so low_

_You are the wind in between the snow_

_I can't escape you_

_I can't escape…_

-Civil Twilight, _Holy Weather_

**chapter 28**

**december 27th, 2013**

**-oOo-**

It was approaching eleven in the morning in Volterra, the sun hidden behind a thick layer of clouds. I was in Francesca and Belvedere's room in the castle, helping her pack Belvedere's clothes and her belongings into a duffel. Belvedere was sound asleep in his bed, lightly snoring.

"Man, the guy can sleep," I whispered to Francesca.

She laughed. "He's already acting like a teenage boy… I don't know if I'll be ready for that."

Earlier this morning, around one a.m., I had the time to escort the new Volturi guard members to their rooms. Francesca was watching Belvedere (he had already been asleep for hours, but she still would not leave his side), and since I pretty much had a gist of where everything was in the castle, I gave them a tour.

Felix and Demetri cleared out all the personal belongings of the now deceased guard members to make room for the new ones. There were two adjacent hallways with three bedrooms in each. One of the hallways became for the men. Leonid and Aleksei shared a room while Braulio and Ethan had their own. In the other hallway, Tiffany, Pauline, and Letty had their own rooms.

Letty was the last person I led to her bedroom. It was similar to mine, layout wise, but it had a purple and gold color scheme. She grimaced when we walked in.

"Is something wrong?" I asked her.

"I thought this castle was formal, but _god_. This room is ridiculous," she muttered. "It's not my style, 'ya know?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "You could always ask Marcus if you could use that new Volturi credit card to refurnish your room."

Her eyes lit up. "Perfect! I'll ask Marcus right now!"

She teleported right out of the room, scaring me. I looked at the door, wondering if she'd be coming back that way.

Something tapped me on the shoulder, and instinctively I spun around and lowered into a crouch.

"Easy, easy," she murmured, sticking out her hands.

"Sorry," I apologized. "Force of habit."

She frowned. "That's a _habit_? What went on here before I came... What's happened to _you_?"

I sighed, standing straight once again. "It's nothing. All in the past. That was the old Volturi."

Back in the present, Francesca stuffed the last of Belvedere's shirt into the duffel before zipping it up tightly.

"Well, that's the last of it," she muttered as she put her hands on her hips.

"That's that," I said.

She looked back at Belvedere and sighed.

"Where are you going to go?" I asked her.

"I don't really know yet," she sighed. "I will find somewhere we can live, maybe a little cabin somewhere. I'm thinking somewhere in Ireland. I will get a job, save money, and eventually I might be able to buy a house.

"I just want him to have a normal childhood," she continued, glancing at the still sleeping Belvedere. "I want him to be able to play without being stuck in this godforsaken castle. I want him to have _freedom_. But for now... I don't know where we will go, but I am going to make him happy."

"You could always come back with me," I said. "We've got rooms to spare. Esme loves guests. Carlisle, he could help you out, we can work with you on this diet and give you some money to start-"

"Alex, no," she interrupted. "That would not be right. I need to get a start myself."

"But I don't want you to have nowhere to go," I told her. "I want to help you."

"And I appreciate it," she murmured. "But Belvedere and I will be fine, I promise you."

Belvedere began to stir and sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes.

"Good morning _bella bambina_," she said with a smile. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes ma'am," he replied, pulling off the covers and getting up from bed. "Are we leaving today?"

"Yes, so we need you to change into the warm clothes I laid out at the foot of the bed," Francesca said sweetly. I smiled to myself. She reminded me of Esme. I think the two of them would get along.

Belvedere nodded and gave me a small wave. "Good morning, Alex."

"Hey bud," I replied.

Francesca chuckled as he grabbed his clothes and made his way to the bathroom.

"He is _completely_ out of it," she laughed. "It'll be a while before we can really get moving anywhere."

I smiled. "I'm going to go grab all of my things."

"I won't leave without you," she promised.

I turned and walked out of the room. My coat and bag were tucked away in my old room, so I made my way towards there. The castle was quiet, but as I neared the throne room I began to hear voices.

"...just wanted to see if it was true," I picked up, and I froze. I recognized the voice.

"Well, I can assure you, Peter, that everything you've heard is true," Marcus said.

God, what were Peter and Charlotte doing here? I couldn't let them see me. For all I knew they probably thought I was dead.

Swearing under my breath, I sped right back to Francesca's room.

"What's going on?" she asked when I ran in. "Where's all your stuff?"

"We have a slight problem," I told her.

Her face fell. "What's wrong?"

"Peter and Charlotte, the nomads we saw back in Texas, are here!" I said urgently.

She let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, good. For a second I thought something that was actually a _threat_ to all of us was happening."

I crossed my arms. "They can't see me! They probably think I'm dead."

"Calm down," she muttered, and I huffed. "I'll deal with it."

Belvedere came trudging out of the bathroom.

"_Bella bambina_, I need you stay here for a bit," Francesca told him. "Alex and I need to take care of something."

"What?" I questioned. "I can't go out there!"

"You won't actually go in the throne room. C'mon, I have a plan. You'll be fine," she told me. "When have my plans not worked?"

I stuck out my tongue and followed her out of the room. We moved silently down the hall and Francesca strode right into the throne room. The voices died down.

"What can I do for you, Francesca?" Marcus asked her.

I heard Peter let out a hiss. "It's _you_. You were with her that day in forest."

I knew Peter was talking about me.

"Jasper told me that you and the child were the ones who took away the pieces of her body," he spat.

"Now, now," Marcus murmured, "there is no reason to release your frustration on Francesca. She was merely following Aro's orders, and unfortunately it wasn't something she could just say no to. So, please, spare her from your torments."

The room was completely silent. I had no idea who was in there, or what Francesca was doing.

"It is very unfortunate that Alex is no longer with us, and her death was not something I supported. However, as I'm sure you've noticed in the past, Aro really acted on his own accord," Marcus continued. "Let us not tarnish Alex's memory with all this scorn."

Peter said nothing.

"Now, if that is all you need, you are free to go," Marcus said.

"I will be telling Jasper and Carlisle of the new reign," Peter replied. "I wouldn't be surprised if he paid you a visit."

Marcus chuckled. "Neither would I. It would be nice to see the _Stregoni Benefici_ under... slightly better terms."

"_Slightly better terms_?" Peter barked. "Your guard is the reason his daughter is _dead_. There will never be 'slightly better terms' with him."

I bit my lip. I missed my father so much.

I heard Peter and Charlotte's footsteps walk away, and when I was sure they were gone I made my way into the throne room.

"Well…" Marcus murmured. "That was… interesting, to say the least."

Only Marcus, Francesca, Felix, and Demetri were in the room. _Good_, I thought, _these were the only four who wouldn't slip up and say I was alive._

"A little too close for comfort, huh?" Demetri said, mischievously arching his eyebrow at me.

Letty miraculously appeared in the middle of the room, causing Felix, Demetri, Francesca, and I to lowered into another defensive crouch. Marcus, however, didn't even flinch.

"Gosh, what is with you people?" she inquired. "Always so defensive."

The four of us relaxed, and Letty turned to me. "I just wanted to make sure you hadn't left before I got a chance to say goodbye!"

I smiled. "No, not yet. I just have to get my things from my room-"

"Oh, that's no problem!" she said, then vanished from sight.

"This is going to take some getting used to," I muttered.

Letty reappeared seconds later with my messenger bag and peacoat. "Here it is. Now you don't have to worry about going back to your room."

I laughed. "Thank you, Letty."

She hugged me. "I'm going to miss you! It was nice meeting you. I wish we could have spent more time together and gotten to know each other, but I know you need to get back to your family."

"It was nice meeting you, too, Letty," I said.

"You should come visit here sometime!" she told me.

"I'll see what I can do," I replied.

Francesca went off to get Belvedere while I shook the hands of Marcus, Felix, and Demetri. They said to not be a stranger.

Francesca met me back in the throne room, the strap of her duffel bag draped over her shoulder and her hand intertwined with Belvedere's.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked. I nodded.

The three of us left the throne room and traveled through the halls that were now so familiar to us. We exited through the grate in the alley, Francesca lifting Belvedere up to me so we could get him out. It was cold, which had no effect on her and I, but she bundled him up in a winter coat and gave him warm gloves. I put on my peacoat so I wouldn't look strange to all the humans.

We made our way out of the city and once we were far enough away, Francesca let us pause so I could hunt. When I was done, I met her at the tree line.

"So this is it, then?" she asked.

"No, it's not the end," I told her. "We'll see each other again, someday."

"How are you going to get home?" she inquired.

"I'm gonna buy a plane ticket. I've still got some of that money you gave me," I said with a smile.

She chuckled.

"But I'm not going straight home," I continued. "There's one more place I have to go."

"Where?" Francesca asked.

"When I was in Pittsburgh and making my way to the clearing, I passed by a woman at her house. The mailbox said the name Platt. The woman had Esme's caramel-colored hair, and if my suspicions are correct, the woman is Esme's niece. Ergo, she's also my adopted cousin," I told her. "I'm going to visit her again and see if I'm right."

Francesca laughed. "I though you wanted to get back to your family as soon as possible? How long is this going to take?"

"It won't take long," I reassured her, and then a thought struck me. "Can you show me what Carlisle is doing? I wonder if Peter has contacted him yet…"

Belvedere looked up at Francesca's face. She outstretched her hand and I took it.

* * *

><p>Carlisle ran through the forest, Alice and Jasper right behind him. The sky was dark as he took down a mountain lion.<p>

_Where are they?_

Carlisle turned back to his children, his gold eyes seeming distant. Alice gave him a small smile and put her hand on his arm.

"You go ahead and set up camp, Jasper," she said gently. "We'll be right behind you."

Jasper nodded and dashed off. I now noticed that he had a large bag with him.

_Why are they camping?_

"C'mon Carlisle, cheer up," Alice said to him after Jasper was out of sight. "It's been about two months. Alex… she wouldn't want you to be upset… and I don't care what anyone says, but I bet you she's watching over us."

_Oh, how right she was. _

"We came to Yosemite to get _away_ from everything," Alice continued, "so just go ahead and put all those bad thoughts away. Enjoy the nature and the hunting."

Carlisle nodded, and she threw her arms around him for a hug.

I've never seen a father-daughter exchange between them like this. It was adorable.

"It's just…" Carlisle began, but then trailed off.

"What?" Alice inquired.

"Back on the day that Jane, Alec, and Felix came to our home, in September, I thought I could hear Alex's voice," he said. "It was like she was _there_, speaking to me, but I know she wasn't."

I couldn't believe it. Carlisle _heard_ me!

"I heard her first in my office at the hospital when I was leaving, and then at our home. She was yelling at Parker, telling him not to do anything irrational."

_Don't do anything irrational, Parker!_ I remember myself saying. _Don't do anything you'll regret!_

"In all of my years, I've never heard of a vampire who could hear others' voices," Carlisle told Alice. "I am just afraid that I am losing my mind."

Alice sighed. "You're not losing your mind, Carlisle. Strange things have happened to me, too."

Carlisle stared at her. "What have you seen, Alice?"

"About a week after Alex… was killed, I still was in denial. I decided to try and look into her future, but when I did…" she trailed off.

Carlisle waited for her to speak.

"I saw someone, but it wasn't Alex," she said. "It was a girl with wavy raven-black hair, big eyes, and dimples. That was what I saw when I tried to see Alex. I didn't know what to make of it."

Carlisle said nothing.

"And if Edward's seen these visions," Alice continued, "he hasn't said anything to me."

She sighed.

"Something strange is going on," she said finally.

* * *

><p>I came out of Francesca's power and looked her right in the eyes.<p>

"They're getting suspicious," I said.

She nodded.

"I better get home."

She gave me a said smile. "Yes, I believe that would be best."

I wrapped my arms around her for a hug. She hugged me back tightly, and Belvedere joined in.

"Don't be strangers, okay?" I said to them. "Try and find me, if you ever want to. I'll be in Astoria for now, but I don't know what my family will plan on doing in the next couple of years…"

Francesca moved from my arms. "Of course. We'll see you again."

"Bye, Alex," Belvedere said.

"I'm definitely going to pick up that diet of yours," Francesca said. "I keep looking at your eyes and I feel envious.

"My… eyes?" I asked.

Francesca chuckled. "Have you looked in a mirror since Emi changed you back to normal?"

I pulled out the smart phone and gazed into the screen.

My eyes were finally gold.

With that the two of them ran off into the woods, on the course of creating their new lives.

I turned in the opposite direction… and off I went.

I bought another one-way ticket to Pittsburgh, and I was able to fly out relatively quickly. My money supply was getting low, but I didn't think I'd need too much more. I tucked it into my messenger bag and made sure all of my belongings were still there. Smart phone, check. Ian's jacket, check. Sunglasses, check. Jewelry, check.

The plane landed at four in the afternoon, eastern time. As usual, I hailed a taxi and climbed in, pulling out Francesca's paper to give the taxi driver the original address I had used when I was here. I stopped in front of the same café and made my way to the street where Esme's niece lived.

To my surprise, she was sitting on the front porch once more.

"Why is it that you're always walking along here when a storm is brewing?" she asked me with a laugh.

I shrugged as a rumble of thunder sounded.

"Are you going to your friend's house again?" she inquired.

"No. ma'am… I was just going for a walk," I lied.

"Not in this weather, you're not," she said. "Come up here, before the rain starts."

This was the perfect opportunity. I nodded and made my way through her yard and up the stairs.

"Please, sit down," she suggested, gesturing to the porch swing to the right of the front door.

"Thank you," I said quietly.

"Now, I've seen you twice," she laughed, "and I have no idea what your name is."

"My name is Alex," I told her. "Alex Cullen."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Cullen," she said. "My name is Patricia Platt, formerly Patricia Platt-Johnson."

"If you don't mind me asking, formerly?" I inquired. "Why formerly?"

She smiled. "Ah, I've had an interesting life."

More thunder rumbled, and she shivered.

"Are you cold, Miss Platt?" I asked. "Would you like to go inside?"

I saw the raindrops begin to fall on the sidewalk. Miss Platt looked out into the open for a moment before turning back to me.

"Please, dear, call me Miss Patricia," she said. "And, yes, let's head inside."

_Patricia_. I remember that's what Aro said her name would be.

I stood up from the swing and opened the door. Miss Patricia walked in, giving me a quiet thank-you, and flipped the light switch. The small chandelier above us came on, illuminating the room.

To the right in the foyer was a small closet, and a hallway stretched out in front of us. I could see the kitchen at the end of it and in the middle to the right was an archway that I assumed led to a living room. Off to the far left was the staircase.

I followed Miss Patricia into the living room, and she patted the little loveseat that sat there. It had a coffee table in front of that, and in front of the table sat a small television. It was seated just in front of the bay window. Behind the couch was a fireplace with a mantel that was lined with picture frames.

"Would you like something to eat, Alex?" she asked.

I gave her a small smile. "Thank you ma'am, but I'm okay."

"Alright," she said. "I hope you don't mind, but I'm getting myself something. I'm _starving._"

I laughed. "That's fine."

"I'll be right back," she told me, and left the room.

I walked over to the fireplace as I heard her open the refrigerator door. There were many photos on the mantel. One was of who I assumed was Miss Patricia with another man. She was in a wedding dress, and both she and the man had huge smiles on their faces. Another was of Miss Patricia holding a little baby girl in her arms. The baby's tiny fist was up in the air. The third picture was of Miss Patricia and a teenage girl, who I assumed might be the baby, in a prom dress. A fourth photo was a shot of a different baby, but right next to that was a photo of…

A younger Marcella.

I bit my tongue to hold back a sob. It had been a little over three months since Marcella was killed, but it still hurt to see her picture. Did Miss Patricia know what happened to her daughter and her granddaughter?

There was one last photo framed on the mantel. It had a round, golden frame, and the photograph was black and white. It seemed to be a very old photo of a young girl, about sixteen. Her hair was light-colored, wavy, and came to her shoulders. She was smiling at the camera, and when I noticed the girl's dimples, I gasped.

Was this a picture of Esme?

"Something wrong, dear?" Miss Patricia asked. I turned to look at her. She had a plate of chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk in her hands.

"No... No, nothing's wrong," I stammered. "This just seems like such an old photo. The girl in it is so pretty."

Miss Patricia gave me a funny look before setting down her food and drink on the coffee table. She walked over to stand next to me, grabbing the photo.

"This is my aunt," she told me.

_Bingo! Esme. _

"Your aunt," I repeated. "I assume this was her when she was younger?"

A small smile spread across her face. "Yes. She was pretty, wasn't she? I wish I could have met her."

"I beg your pardon?" I asked, feigning confusion.

"My aunt has a very colorful backstory," Miss Patricia told me.

Like I didn't know about it already. "What happened to her?"

She shook her head. "She had an abusive husband. He beat her and impregnated her. She disappeared one day, and everyone assumed she was dead."

"That's terrible," I said, fighting to hold back my anger. I was always infuriated when I heard the story of Charles Evenson and the awful things my mother had to go through.

"What's worse is that my grandparents _knew_ about the abuse and didn't do a damn thing about it... pardon my language," she said.

"You're kidding," I said.

She shook her head. After a moment, she said, "Her name was Esme. Esme Anne Platt. I don't think I told you."

"That's a beautiful name," I told her with a smile.

Miss Patricia nodded. "When they police investigated Esme's case, they found out about her husband's abuse and about some alcohol smuggling he did during that time, seeing that it was prohibition and all. He got locked up in jail, and I'm pretty sure he died there. My grandparents denied that they knew anything about the abuse. I always hated them for that."

She let out a breath and continued. "I was always so fascinated by my aunt's story, but I had some doubts..."

"What do you mean?" I inquired.

"I think she didn't die, but just disappeared," Miss Patricia told me. "You know, changed her name and began a new life. I bet you she found a better man, one who loved her and treated her right."

I smiled to myself. Miss Patricia didn't know how right she was.

"I hope she did," I told her.

From the corner of my eye, I saw her staring at me. She shivered once more and grabbed the photo of young Marcella.

"Who is that, Miss Patricia?" I asked her.

"That is my granddaughter, Marcella Esme," she said. "She's got my aunt's middle name. I was thrilled when my daughter named her that. I actually named my daughter after Esme. Her name was Emily Anne."

She sighed.

"Is something wrong?" I questioned.

"My daughter was a free spirit, you see," Miss Patricia said. "She traveled to Italy, and that was where she met her husband. Emily gave birth to Marcella in two-thousand four, but unfortunately her husband was killed in a car accident when Marcella was only two. She barely knew her father. Emily was absolutely devastated, but she devoted herself to Marcella. They stayed in Italy, visited me often, but earlier this year..."

She trailed off. I had a feeling I knew what was coming next.

"Earlier this year I got a call that Emily had been murdered and Marcella's body was nowhere to be found," she told me. "I had lost my husband to cancer the year before, so it was really hard. I... I was left alone."

"I'm so sorry, Miss Patricia," I whispered, putting my hand on her arm.

She took a deep breath.

"It was presumed that Marcella was dead, but like Esme, I think she just got away," Miss Patricia sighed. "I guess I just like to hope for the best."

She looked at me. "Do you think she got away, Alex?"

I looked back at Marcella's picture. There was no way I could tell her about her granddaughter's plight without saying that I _knew_ her. I couldn't reveal all about the vampire world that Marcella unfortunately became a part of.

"I... I don't know, Miss Patricia. Maybe," I said finally.

She stated at me for another moment before moving to sit down on the couch, and I followed behind her.

"I've never seen such a beautiful young lady like you," she said with a smile. "It's uncanny."

I chuckled. "Well, thank you. I guess I can thank my genes for that."

_Or the venom running through my bloodstream. Take your pick. _

She chuckled. "I wish I would have been able to see Marcella grow up to be your age."

Even if Marcella was still alive today, she wouldn't have aged. Of course, I couldn't tell Miss Patricia that.

"But she wouldn't have, would she?" she said, almost repeating my thoughts.

"I'm sorry?" I asked.

"She wouldn't have aged," Miss Patricia repeated. "Just like _you_ aren't going to age anymore."

What? "Miss Patricia, I... I don't understand. What are you saying?"

She laughed. "Miss Cullen, I know a vampire when I see one."

I froze. "Vampires? Vampires don't exist."

Miss Patricia smiled. "You can cut the act. I've met a vampire before, and let's just say that I have an... uncanny ability to detect the supernatural. I'm gifted, I suppose."

I just stared at her.

"I have a feeling you know a lot more then you're telling me, judging by the way you looked at those photos," she muttered.

Miss Patricia leaned forward and gazed right into my eyes. "How do you know Esme?"

I took a deep breath and looked away. "She's my mother. My... adoptive mother."

Her eyes widened. "You're kidding me! So she never died?"

"No, she's a vampire. Just like me," I whispered. "My adoptive father saved her. Her husband, Carlisle. Esme jumped off a cliff when her baby died. Carlisle was working at a morgue when they brought her body in, and he heard her heart faintly beating. He changed her into a vampire... and they've been in love ever since. Of course, she had met him once before all this."

Miss Patricia smiled. "So she found a good man, huh?"

I giggled. "You bet. He... He's an amazing father and an amazing husband. He's a doctor, with such self-control that he can be around humans all the time in the hospital setting. He's so smart and an amazing leader. You'd have to be a pretty remarkable person to have to keep control of our family."

"How many people are in Esme's family?" she inquired, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "Besides you and her husband, of course."

"There are eleven of us," I told her, and laughed when I saw her eyes widen. "Since we don't age... Myself, my boyfriend Parker, my sisters Rosalie and Alice, my brothers Emmett, Jasper, and Edward, and my sister-in-law Bella act as her adopted children. They're all much older than me, besides Bella. Rosalie and Emmett are together, and so are Alice and Jasper. They've all had numerous marriage ceremonies. Edward and Bella got married before I came along, and when Bella was still human she gave birth to her daughter, Renesmee, who is half-human half-vampire. That's all of us."

Miss Patricia laughed. "How did all of you manage to find each other?"

I sighed. "We all have backstories... Some much sadder than others. Carlisle founded our family. But no matter what has happened to all of us, we are all together now. We love each other."

Miss Patricia smiled. "So you're my adoptive cousin then?"

I laughed. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Then you can call me Pat," she told me, and I chuckled.

"Pat it is," I said.

She smiled, but then it fell. "In all seriousness, though, did you know Marcella?"

I frowned. "I... I did, actually."

I proceeded to tell her all about the granddaughter I knew, from when she stumbled upon my family that one fateful day until her untimely end. I didn't leave out one detail.

"I regretted being mean to her at first," I said. "I felt terrible about everything that happened. It wasn't fair."

Pat closed her eyes tightly. "I knew she didn't die."

I gave my cousin a hug. "I'm so sorry."

She hugged me back. "I'm at peace now, knowing what actually happened to her."

At that moment, Pat reminded me of Marcus.

"But it's not all sad," she added. "I found out that my aunt is still actually alive, and I have all these adopted cousins!"

I smiled. "Maybe in the future, you'll be able to meet Esme."

Pat's eyes lit up. "I'd love that."

I grabbed a notepad and pen that was sitting on the coffee table as Pat grabbed a cookie and munched on it.

I scribbled down our home phone number and handed the piece of paper to her.

"Here," I said, "this is my home phone number. Right down your number and I'll give you a call in a day or two."

Pat did so, and I tucked the piece of paper into my messenger bag.

"Well, I better be going," I said, standing up from the couch. "My family's not expecting me, and I've got a _long_ run home."

"Why are they not expecting you?" she asked.

"They think I'm dead," I told her with a shrug, like this was something completely normal.

She stared at me, dumbfounded. "They think you're _dead_?"

"Yeah... It's a long story," I muttered, "but they'll be in for a surprise when I show up!"

Pat and I hugged, and I went on my way with a promise to call her soon. The rain had stopped- just some short storm I guess- and I began to make my way to the woods.

I traveled to that same clearing where I had met with my family, and I was about to start running at full speed...

When Letty popped up right in front of me.

I let out a growl and leapt back.

"Easy, it's just me!" she said excitedly.

"Jesus, Letty, you can't do that to me!" I muttered.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I was just practicing my teleporting skills because Marcus said it would be a good idea and all, and I was curious as to where you went, so I focused all my energy towards you and BOOM! I ended up here."

"Well, please, can you not pop up right in front of me? If you're going to teleport to me, give it some distance or something," I said. "Or give me a heads-up, okay?"

She nodded. "Alrighty. Well, I'm going to head back to Volterra. Have fun seeing your family!"

She was _so_ energetic. She could give Alice a run for her money... well, maybe.

Letty flashed away, and with a shake of my head, I began running towards home. I was finally getting close to my family.

**-oOo-**

**Sorry for the late update and all that jazz :P I don't know about you, but I loved the sentimentality of this chapter. I can just picture walking along beside the fireplace in Pat's home, looking at the pictures...**

**Anyway, please leave me a review and tell me what you think! Many thanks! :)**


	29. Restoration

**Author's Note: I do not own Twilight. Twilight and all of the characters are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. **

**Thank you victoria cullen30, caseyrn12, CloudyNight, IWonderWhatIShouldBeCalled, immortalroxtar, an anonymous reviewer, and Lexie for your reviews! We've got this chapter, and then the epilogue… Think we can make it to 200 reviews? ;)**

**On with the story! I hope you like this chapter. It's time for Alex to be reunited with her family!**

_I've gone for too long_

_Living like I'm not alive_

_So I'm going to start over tonight_

_Beginning with you and I_

_When this memory fades_

_I'm gonna make sure it's replaced_

_With chances taken_

_Hope embraced_

_And I have I told you?_

_I'm not going_

'_Cause I've been waiting for a miracle_

_And I'm not leaving_

_I won't let you_

_Let you give up on a miracle_

_When it might save you_

-Paramore, _Miracle_

**chapter 29**

**december 27th, 2013**

**-oOo-**

I left straight from Pittsburgh, running as fast as I possibly could. My feet pounding the ground and my arms pumping, I managed to travel across the United States in only four hours. It was five in the evening in Astoria, and since it was winter, the sky was already getting dark.

I ran through the trees until I was at the edge of Jacob's territory and my family's territory. The two lands were divided by a rushing river, and I stood upon the cliffs looking over it. One day, back when I was first a newborn, Carlisle had taken me hunting and shown me the boundary lines. He told me that it was crucial I didn't cross them, and I couldn't have agreed more.

Turning back slightly, I made my way right, which would get me closer to the house. Who would be there? Were Carlisle, Alice, and Jasper still out camping in Yosemite?

I made my way farther until I heard the sound of crunching leaves and a struggle. Running even faster, I went near the sound and ducked behind a tree.

There, right in front of me, Parker was hunting a doe. Happiness washed over me, seeing him in the flesh.

He didn't hear me or notice me, so when he was done with the doe he turned and ran off.

"Parker!" I cried out, emerging from behind the tree.

He stopped running immediately and froze. I walked forward, towards him, as he turned around. Parker stared at me and didn't say anything, so I flashed him a smile.

Before I could even say anything, he dashed off towards the boundary lines.

_Where was he going?_ I chased after him until he was dangerously close to the edge of the cliffs.

"Parker Cullen, you know you're at the treaty line so you better stop!" I yelled.

Parker froze at the edge overlooking the river. He stood as still as a statue, looking down at his feet.

"Now, please, just listen to me for a moment," I begged without using compulsion. I hoped that he would stay and not run away from me again, because I didn't know how long he would keep me chasing after him.

"I... This isn't happening," he whispered, not looking up.

"What?" I asked.

"You can't be talking to me, Alex. You're dead!" he moaned. "I'm going crazy... You're not really here."

"No, Parker, you're not crazy. I'm here," I told him.

"I must be going crazy, because I don't believe in ghosts," he muttered.

"Good, because I'm not a ghost!" I said. "Parker, please, just let me talk to you!"

"I miss you, Alex," he said, his voice cracking. His gaze never left the ground.

My heart broke. "Oh, Parker... I've missed you, too."

"No..." he said. "You mean you _miss_ me, because you aren't here."

I tried to find a different way to get through to him. "Parker, can I ask you something?"

He let out a shaky breath, but didn't say anything.

"Try to remember what I look like, Parker," I told him, "but mostly try to remember my eyes. What color were my eyes?"

"They were red," he whispered, eyes still on his feet.

"Yes," I said. "Now, please, look at me."

He didn't move.

"Parker... just look at me," I whispered. "Please?"

His head slowly turned towards me.

"What color are my eyes?" I asked.

He rushed up to me in a second and stood barely a foot away.

"They're gold," he murmured, "but I must be hallucinating..."

"No!" I shouted. "Don't you understand? You're not hallucinating, and I'm not dead! I'm right here, with you, in _front of you_."

He said nothing.

"If I wasn't here," I said, "would you feel this?"

I raised my hand and gently placed it on his face. He closed his eyes, and slowly his shaking hand placed itself on top of mine.

"Do you believe me now?" I whispered.

His eyes shot open, and he suddenly engulfed me in his arms. I laughed as he spun me around in circles. He placed me down and planted kisses on my forehead, my cheeks, my nose, and finally my lips.

"Angel, angel..." he murmured when we broke our kiss. "How... How is this possible? How are you not dead?"

"It was all part of my plan!" I told him. "Did you guys really think you could get rid of me that easily?"

He laughed, but then asked, "What plan?"

"The red-headed member of the Volturi guard who took the pieces of me away... her name was Francesca. Do you know who I'm talking about?" I asked.

He nodded.

"She's been on my side for a while now," I told him. "We've been planning my escape. At the end of the confrontation, you all thought I was dead, right?"

Parker nodded. "I wanted to attack the Volturi, but there was just... something holding me back."

I smiled. "That was me."

"What?" he questioned.

"I sent a command to the family to not attack the Volturi or avenge my death," I said. "While, on the other hand, I told the Volturi to not kill, harm, or torture the family, Francesca, or Belvedere, who was the hybrid, and to not burn the pieces of my body. I also told them to have faith in Francesca and Belvedere to dispose of me, and to not follow them when they did so. Specifically, I told Aro to make Francesca and Belvedere dispose of my body, instruct no members of the guard to go with them, and return to the castle."

"That's amazing," Parker breathed. "When did you have time to do all this?"

"The moments before Aro killed me, as he held me by my neck," I said, putting air quotes around "killed".

"But Aro... how could he not see you planning all of this?" Parker inquired.

I smiled. "Let's just say that Francesca has a very powerful ability that helped with that issue."

Parker laughed at my vagueness. "Oh god, everyone's going to be so thrilled. Esme, Rosalie, and Alice haven't been the same since they thought you were killed... Esme especially. Carlisle's been different, too. Usually he's the brave one and strong for everyone else, but he barely talks to anyone but Esme anymore."

"Is everyone home?" I asked.

Parker shook his head. "Nessie's been very sad lately, so Bella is with her in La Push to visit Jacob, but Edward didn't go with them. He insisted that he stayed here... said he wanted to comfort Esme, but I feel like it's for another reason."

I had a feeling I knew what that reason was.

"Jasper took Alice and Carlisle to Yosemite for hunting... apparently there's a mountain lion problem there. They should be back within the next day or two because they just left yesterday. Esme, myself, Emmett, and Rosalie stayed behind with Edward, but Rosalie and Emmett just left to go hunting in the area. I went out to get some air... so just Edward and Esme are home right now."

"Well, let's go give them a shock, shall we?" I asked with a laugh.

He grabbed my hand and we ran towards the house, stopping at the edge of the forest.

"Hide behind one of these trees," Parker told me. "I'll go get Esme and Edward."

He ran up to the front door. I looked up and, through the window, I could see Esme and Edward in the living room. Edward stood up from where he was sitting with Esme, and moved towards the door. He opened it before Parker had the chance to, and I ducked behind the tree completely.

"Esme!" I heard Parker yell. "Come quick! You've _got_ to see this!"

It was quiet for a moment, before I heard Esme ask quietly, "What is it, Parker?"

I didn't realize how much I had missed the mere sound of my mother's voice.

"Just come see!" he told her. "You won't believe your eyes."

I heard him lead her down the porch stairs as he said, "Now, at first you may think your eyes are playing tricks on you, but what you're seeing is real..."

The crunching of the gravel driveway stopped, and a breeze blew against my back.

Esme let out a little gasp. "That smell... Who... Who is it?"

"Why don't you take a look for yourself?" Parker suggested kindly.

I took that as my cue to move out from behind the tree.

Esme gasped even louder this time, her hand flying to cover her mouth.

"Hi mom," I said.

"Alex?" she whispered.

"Yeah, it's me," I said with a smile.

I walked over to stand right in front of her.

"But... But how?" she asked.

"I had some help along the way," I told her. "They took away my body, but they didn't burn it. The vampire and the hybrid that ran off with my body were on my side."

She stared at me for a moment. "Are you sure I'm not hallucinating?"

I laughed. "I'm sure. It's really me, Esme. I'm alive."

She still looked wary, so I decided to give her proof. I reached into my messenger bag and pulled out the bag of photos, handing them to her. She gazed at them as I pulled out the charm bracelet.

"I was hiding this under the sleeve of my cloak," I whispered, running my thumb along the mangled charms. "Jane snatched it from me and smashed some of it."

She looked at the bracelet, and then at me. A huge smile spread across her face, and she engulfed me in her arms.

"It _is_ you," she murmured.

I laughed and hugged her back.

"Oh, look at your eyes! Your beautiful, beautiful gold eyes!" she said, putting her hands on my cheeks.

"Yes," I whispered. "They're just like yours."

Esme smiled and let out a laugh.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward descend down the porch steps and walk towards us. I patted Esme on the arm, and then glided over to meet him.

"Amazing," he muttered. "Just amazing."

"You think?" I asked, holding my arms out and twirling around in a circle. "I'm just glad everything worked out."

"I didn't know if it would be possible, but you showed me," he said.

I raised my eyebrows.

"Underestimating me, brother?" I inquired in a joking manner.

"Never again," he told me.

I smiled brightly as Esme asked, "What are you two talking about?"

"Edward's a mind reader. You really can't keep him out of the loop for anything," I said, giving him a playful shove.

"Wait a minute," Parker muttered. "Did he _know_ about your scheme?"

I nodded. "I had to let him know that I was planning to be back."

"That explains a lot, then," Parker said, turning to Edward. "It explains how you were the one consoling everyone, promising them that things will be okay, and why you stayed here instead of going with Bella and Nessie. You knew all along that Alex would be showing up once more."

"So, if I understand this correctly," Esme interjected, "you died on _purpose_, Alex?"

I looked back to her and nodded. "I used my compulsion on everyone to make sure things went as planned. I… pretty much tricked everyone to act in my favor, except for the redhead, Francesca. She pretty much came up with the entire plan. I just followed along with it."

"I didn't even think about that," Parker muttered to himself.

"What?" I asked him.

"Alex… What about the Volturi? What happens if Aro finds out that you're dead?" he questioned.

I was about to tell him the truth when Esme said, "Let's not worry about that now. We'll discuss this later, when _everyone_ is here."

She put her arm around my shoulder and led me towards the house. I looked back at Edward and caught his gaze. His expression turned into one of surprise when he read my thoughts and saw what the new Volturi was like. I would have a _long_ story to tell tonight.

The four of us walked back inside and I smiled when I took in the sight of my home. Everything was the same, and I instantly felt relaxed. I was _back_.

"Why don't you go up to your room and change out of the clothes?" Esme suggested. "They look a little dirty. I promise you, though, everything in your room is as you left it."

I glanced down at my pants, and sure enough they showed a little dirt. I sped up to me room and walked into my closet, running my hands along the clothes and relishing the feeling of familiar fabrics. To keep things simple, I just changed into a pair of jeans and a graphic t-shirt, slipping a comfortable white long-sleeved cardigan over top. I slipped on the red ruby bracelet from Parker and made my way back to the living room.

As I reentered the hall, I could hear Esme on the phone with someone.

"I was just wondering when you two would be getting back… Oh, wonderful… Yes, everything is fine, I promise… Okay, I'll see you then," she said, and I heard the click of the end call button.

"Who was that?" I asked as I walked down the stairs.

"Rosalie," Esme said with a smile. "They're about five minutes away from the house."

I let out a delighted squeal, to which Esme laughed.

"Just be casual," she told me. "Switch on the television and watch something with Edward and Parker."

"With pleasure," I heard Parker say. He and Edward sat down so I joined them, grabbing the remote and turning on the first channel that popped up.

I didn't focus on the television. A few minutes passed, and I heard footsteps approaching the back of the house. Parker gave my hand a squeeze as Esme walked to the back door to greet my siblings.

"Hello!" Esme said cheerily as she slid open the sliding door. "How was your hunt?"

"It was… good," Rosalie said, sounding like she was in disbelief.

"Wow, Esme, you're in a great mood," Emmett told her.

She laughed. "Well, I have a great reason to be."

"And why is that?" Rosalie asked.

Esme laughed again. "Why don't you go into the living room and see for yourself?"

I heard the two approach, and both Edward and Parker simultaneously turned back to greet them.

"Hello you two," Edward said. I still had my back to them, barely able to hold my excitement in.

"Who is that?" Emmett questioned, and I assumed he was referring to me.

Taking this as my cue, I turned to face them and flashed them a smile.

"Hi guys!" I said.

Emmett's jaw dropped. Rosalie just stood there, frozen.

"How have you guys been?" I asked them with a giggle.

Emmett suddenly burst out into booming laughter. "Nuh-uh! Is this for real?"

"Oh, it's real alright!" I said, leaping over the back of the couch to stand in front of them. "So, I'm not dead. Surprise!"

Emmett laughed again, but Rosalie continued to stare at me.

"How is this even possible?" he asked.

"You know the red-headed member of the Volturi that carried me away?" I asked him. "She was on my side the entire time. We came up with a plan that involved me dying, and then she carried my body away, only to put it together once she was far enough away from Aro."

"So you've been alive this entire time?" Emmett questioned.

"Yes," I told him. "I _would_ have been back sooner, but there was some… unfinished business I had to take care of."

"Dude, that's _awesome_!" he shouted. "You tricked the entire Volturi!"

He high-fived me, and then pulled me into a tight bear hug.

"I missed you, sis!" he said.

"I missed you, too!" I replied, hugging him back.

He released me and I turned to Rosalie, who was still staring at me.

"Rose?" I asked. "Are you okay?"

"I… I just can't believe it's you," she whispered.

We both burst out laughing and pulled each other into a hug. I could feel her shoulders shaking, and tears that could not be shed stung at my eyes.

"Good god, baby-doll, if you ever pull something like this again-" she began, but was interrupted by the back door flying open.

"Alice!" I heard a male cry from outside. "_Alice!_"

Ignoring the cries of her husband, Alice ran into the living room. Rose released me from her arms just as Alice screamed and ran towards me, pulling me into her grasp.

"I… I saw a vision of you coming home, and w-when I saw it I just r-ran and ran so I could get here!" she sobbed. "I knew you weren't really d-dead, I could just feel it!"

I laughed, and seeing her sob, I began to sob. "Alice, calm down, it's okay! I'm happy to see you, too."

"What in the world sent you runnin' like that, Alice?" Jasper yelled, barging into the room.

"She's not dead, Jasper!" Alice shouted. "She's alive!"

Jasper saw me and a smile broke out on his face.

"I thought something was seriously wrong," he said with a laugh. "I'm glad it's not."

"Jasper!" I said, running to him and giving him a hug.

"Hey, little sister!" he said. "It's good to see you in one piece!"

"It's good to see you too, big brother!" I laughed.

Jasper broke our hug. "Carlisle wasn't too far behind us, so he should be here any minute-"

I heard him walk into the room, and when I turned to face him he stopped in his tracks. He looked at me with a curious gaze.

"Hi, Dad," I whispered.

He smiled and opened up his arms, to which I ran into and hugged him as tight as I possibly could. I lost it once again, sobbing tearlessly into his shoulder.

"I cannot believe you're alive," he murmured.

"I am, I am," I cried. "I'm here."

He placed a kiss on my forehead and ran his hand through my hair. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and then Esme joined our hug.

When the three of us separated, I said to Carlisle, "By the way, you were never losing your mind."

He stared at me, dumbfounded. "I beg your pardon?"

"I _was_ talking to you," I told him. "You weren't hallucinating. It was fascinating, though. You were the only one who could actually hear me."

"You... You actually spoke to me?" he inquired. "How on Earth did you do that?"

Edward chuckled. "Alex has a lot of explaining to do."

I looked back at him as Esme sighed.

"Yes, and now is probably the best time to discuss as to how we are going to keep all of THIS from Aro and the rest of the Volturi," she muttered.

Edward laughed again.

"I don't see how any of this is funny, Edward," Carlisle chided.

"Oh, you will," Edward chuckled.

"What are you _talking_ about?" Alice questioned as Rosalie crossed her arms.

Edward looked at me. "I think _now_ would be a good time to tell them."

I nodded and let out an unnecessary breath.

"What is it you need to say, Alex?" Esme inquired.

"Well... the Volturi won't be bothering us again for a long time," I said.

"And why is that?" Carlisle asked.

"Um..." I muttered. "It's because Aro is dead... and so is Caius, Jane, Alec... well, pretty much the entire guard except for Marcus, Felix, Demetri, and the red-head Francesca. She's not in the guard anymore, though, so I guess she might not count."

Everyone, minus Edward, stared at me with looks of complete shock. They stood there, silent as can be, until Emmett finally said something.

"Alex?" he asked. "What the _hell_ did you do?"

I laughed and shook my head. "Well, it wasn't all me. I had help... and Marcus kind of went off, which resulted in the death of pretty much every guard member-"

"So they're _all gone_?" Esme asked.

"Just about, yeah," I said.

"And what's happening now?" Carlisle questioned.

"Marcus took over, officially," I told him. "Felix and Demetri are pretty much his right-hand men. He drafted seven new, powerful guard members."

"And when you said Marcus 'went off', did he kill _all_ of those guard members?" Emmett asked.

I looked at Carlisle, and I felt ashamed. I knew that he was one that didn't like to turn to violence immediately as the way to solve issues. I killed Chelsea, Jane, Alec, and Xavier mainly because of the pain they caused to me and my family.

I glanced back at Edward, and he walked forward and put his hand on my shoulder.

"What's in the past is in the past," he told me. "He won't be mad."

"Alex?" Carlisle asked quietly.

"Marcus didn't kill everyone," I whispered. "I killed Chelsea, Jane, Alec, and Xavier."

"Well, personally, I think they had it coming," Emmett said, to which I let out a bitter laugh. "But you do realize we've killed people too, right? It's not like we're saints or anything."

Esme came towards me and grabbed my hands.

"Like Edward said," she murmured. "What's in the past is in the past."

I gave her a small smile, and she wrapped her arms around me for another hug.

"I _am_ wondering, though," Rosalie said. "What caused Marcus to freak out and destroy Aro, Caius, and the rest of the guard?"

"Alex, thanks to another vampire's ability, solved the mystery of who killed Didyme," Edward said.

"Marcus's mate?" Jasper asked.

"Aro killed her," I said bluntly. "He lied about giving his blessing, and destroyed his _sister _because Marcus and Didyme were planning on leaving Volterra."

"That's awful," Rosalie muttered.

"And Aro just _couldn't_ lose Marcus," I sneered. "He had too powerful of an ability."

Carlisle shook his head.

"But he's gone now," I said with a relieved sigh.

Parker came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, giving me a kiss on the cheek. "And are we all on good terms with Marcus?"

I smiled. "Yes, we're on _very_ good terms."

"They won't be bothering us anytime soon," Edward said. "From the looks of Alex's thoughts, Marcus is in her debt."

"And speaking of the guard," Carlisle added, "What are the new members like?"

"There are four males and three females," I told them. "Tiffany is like the opposite of Alice. She's able to see the past. The Russian brothers, Leonid and Aleksei, have super strength and super speed. Pauline has a mental shield, but it's not as strong as Bella's. Braulio is a mind reader. Ethan is pretty powerful. If someone uses their power on him, he can repel it... I learned _that_ the hard way. And then there's Letty, who's pretty incredible. She can transport herself to anywhere in the world in a second."

Emmett let out a whistle. "Man, Eddie, looks like you're not the only mind reader around."

Edward gave him a playful shove.

"I just have one more question for you, Alex," Carlisle said.

"Shoot," I replied.

He let out an almost nervous chuckle. "How was I able to hear you?"

I smiled. "Well, I think you've got something special. One of Francesca, the red-head's, power is to be able to see anything going on in the world in any given moment."

"That means-" Carlisle began.

"That I was able to see everything Jane said to you when she, Felix, and Alec showed

up?" I asked. "Yes. I saw Peter and Charlotte... and I saw you in your office, Carlisle. I saw everyone, yet when I cried out, you froze. You were the only one to react."

"It looks like you may have some sort of ability after all," Esme said to him with a smile.

He smiled back lovingly at her. "Well, I'm not sure I would classify that as a special ability, but alright."

"Wait!" Alice shouted. "So, when I saw a black-haired girl when I tried to see your future, I... wasn't hallucinating? But why did I see that girl?"

Edward chuckled and I grinned. "That was me."

"What?" Jasper questioned.

"When Francesca had to carry away my body and put me back together, it was lucky my friend Emi had watched our whole debacle and was around," I said.

"Your friend from the foster home?" Carlisle asked, to which I nodded.

"She helped me out with my whole plan," I continued. "She has the power to change appearances, and she did that for me so I could get around without being spotted as Alex Cullen. I became Amelia Collins, for the time being."

"And Alice," Edward said. "Did you notice some important details about Alex's fake appearance?"

She gave him a confused look.

"Her hair color? It was yours," he told her, "but the body of her hair was just like Rosalie's, and she had her face shape, too. She had Bella's big, shining eyes and Esme's dimples."

"What?" Rosalie asked with a laugh.

"Emi incorporated you all into the new _me_," I said.

Emmett laughed. "You clever girl."

Esme came over to me and wrapped her arm around me. "You've gone through a lot to get back here, huh?"

I let out a bitter laugh. "You can say that."

"But we're glad you're back," Rosalie said.

"I'm glad I'm back, too," I murmured.

Alice let out a delighted squeal and ambushed me for a hug. I started laughing so hard that I couldn't stop, and everyone else joined in.

* * *

><p>Later that night, Bella and Nessie arrived home. Jacob came along with them, and it was another reunion of hugs and laughter.<p>

There was a time when I wasn't sure I'd ever be with my family again. I didn't know if I'd be able to experience the little things, like sitting around in the living room. Couples together, everyone together. I loved my family more than life itself.

Aro was long gone, and now that the trouble with him was far behind us, we could finally live in peace. I don't know how much time we have left in Astoria, but wherever we go next, we'll be together for a whole other adventure.

I sat on Parker's lap as he stroked my hair with his right hand. I was comforted by his presence and the feeling of his hand in mine. Esme and Carlisle were sitting beside me.

"May I speak with you outside for a moment?" she asked me.

I nodded and followed her to the back door, giving Parker a quick kiss on the cheek as I left.

We stepped outside, the cold December air hitting us as we went. Esme wrapped me up into another hug.

"I'm so glad you're back," she whispered in my ear.

"Me too," I murmured. "It's so good to be home."

"Here, let's sit," she said, gesturing to the bench on the deck.

We sat down as a stronger wind blew. I had left my cardigan inside, so I was just in my t-shirt… not that the chill mattered to me. But, not having the cardigan exposed my right arm.

Esme let out a small gasp, running her fingers along the mark on my arm where Alec had ripped it off numerous times.

"What… What happened to your arm?" she asked me quietly.

"Training," I sighed. "The marks are from when I wasn't quick enough for Alec."

She frowned, and then I held up my hands. The marks on my fingers weren't as noticeable as the one on my arm, but if you looked closely you could still see them there. "These were from Caius. That's what I get for making Jane torture Alec. He ripped off my fingers, toes, and both of arms. It wasn't even worth it, in the end."

Esme looked up at me, sorrow filling her face. She grabbed both of my hands and held them with hers.

"It's okay," I whispered.

I hugged her tightly, and she held me. I had missed the feeling of being in my mother's arms.

We sat like this for a minute before I heard footsteps approach us. Carlisle came over and joined us on the bench, putting me in between him and Esme.

"Look what they did to her," she muttered, holding up my hand for Carlisle to look at.

"Esme…" I said.

"He should see," she told me.

Carlisle took my hand in his and ran his thumb over the marks.

"Someone in the guard did this?" he questioned.

I nodded. "Caius."

He sighed, and I wrapped my arm around his. "You two, please. I'm okay, really. What did Edward say early?"

Esme smiled. "What's in the past is in the past."

"Right," I told her with a giggle. "Terrible things have happened to me, to _all of us_, but we've overcome them. This is another thing I can get past."

Carlisle laughed. "We've certainly had an adventurous four and a half years, haven't we?"

"It's been a wild ride," I agreed.

"I still perfectly remember the day you showed up on our doorstep," Esme said with a laugh. "You were so much smaller, and younger… You're a different girl now."

I nodded, grabbing a hold of her hand. She gave mine a gentle squeeze.

"Let me just ask you a question," Carlisle said. "If you would have known about us, about what we were and what our world was like, would you still have knocked on our door that day?"

"I don't know, Carlisle," I told him. "I _was_ pretty hungry, and I did need a place to go.

All three of us burst out laughing.

"But in all seriousness," I said after a moment, "I'm not sure. I wish I could remember _exactly_ what was going through my thoughts at the time, and maybe that would give me a better idea. What I _am_ sure about, though, is that I'm glad I knocked on your door. If I hadn't, how would I have become a part of this crazy family?"

My parents smiled at me. They leaned in, and the three of us joined in a hug.

"I love you guys. So much," I whispered.

"And we love you," Esme said.

"Forever and always," Carlisle murmured.

I was so glad to have the love of my parents. To have the love of Parker, Rose, Alice, Emmett, Jasper, Nessie, Edward, Bella. And, at the end of the day, that was all I really needed.

**-oOo-**

**Wow. The last chapter. Good god, where has time gone? :'( The final update will be the epilogue, and I'll try to put that up as soon as possible.**

**On a different note, YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE LAST OF ME! I've got another story, with the first chapter all written up. It's a TwiFanFic, but it's very different from this story. Alex and Parker aren't in it. If you're curious, just let me know in your review… and **_**maybe**_** I'll put the first chapter up ;) THANKS FOR READING!**

**OOH, does anyone have a Tumblr? Let me know, too! I've joined the world of Tumblr ;) I can maybe post FanFic info on there if I get you guys to follow… Hehehe! :)**


	30. Epilogue

**Author's Note: I do not own Twilight. Twilight and all the characters are the creation of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**It is with my bittersweet pleasure to present to you the final update of Coveted Girl. In May of 2010, I posted the first chapter of Esme's Girl, not thinking it would gain much of a fan base. Yet, despite my beliefs, I have had so many wonderful reviewers. I want to thank all of you, and anyone who has read these stories. Your support means so much to me. Your reviews have made me smile and laugh more times than I can count. I feel truly blessed to have had all of your support. Thank you :)**

_I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose_

_Fire away, fire away_

_Ricochet, you take your aim_

_Fire away, fire away_

_You shoot me down but I won't fall_

_I am titanium_

_You shoot me down but I won't fall_

_I am titanium_

-David Guetta ft. Sia, _Titanium_

**epilogue **

**april 7th, 2014**

**-oOo-**

Esme pulled Carlisle's new Mercedes up to the curb of the street, switching off the engine. I could see the sun shining through the car's tinted windows, so I adjusted the scarf around my head. Esme slipped on a set of sleek, black gloves, and handed me a pair. With a last check of our sunglasses in the rear-view mirror, we exited the car.

When we got out, not a person was out on the street, despite the pleasant weather. That was good for us, though. It was unseasonably warm for this time of year, so it would seem a little odd for my mother and me to be in jackets and jeans with gloves and scarves around our heads.

Esme locked the car with the remote as she walked forward towards me. With her navy blue scarf and oversized sunglasses, you almost couldn't tell it was her.

"Are you ready?" she asked me.

I laughed and gave her hand a small squeeze. "Yes, of course. _You're_ the one who seems nervous."

She let out a shaky, unnecessary breath. "I guess you could say that."

"There's no need to worry, Esme," I told her. "You're going to be fine. It will be an excellent surprise."

She gave me a small smile, so I linked my arm with hers and gave her a kiss on the cheek. That made her fully smile.

"Well, let's get going, then," she said.

We crossed the street, making our way to Cousin Pat's front door. I had called her and told her that _I _was stopping by for a visit, but she had no idea that Esme was accompanying me.

When we stepped onto the porch, we made it into the shade. Esme moved out of view as I rang the doorbell, and when Pat showed up at the door she had no idea Esme was there.

"Cousin Alex!" she said excitedly.

"Hi Pat," I said with a giggle.

"Come, come, get inside," she urged. "Get out of that dastardly sun. I know it's no good for you."

I snickered as she made her way down her long hallway.

"I'm just finishing up my lunch in the kitchen," she told me when she disappeared. "Just make yourself comfortable in the living room and I'll be right with you."

"Sounds good," I told her, and then I turned to Esme, motioning for her to follow me.

We silently walked through the hall, into the room and, grabbing her arm, I led her over to the fireplace mantle where the photos sat. I grabbed the little gold frame as Esme slipped off her sunglasses. She took the picture into her hand and her eyes widened.

"It's… _me_," she whispered, so quietly that Pat wouldn't be able to hear.

I nodded, a big smile spreading across my face.

Hearing Pat gather her plate and glass together in the kitchen, I took my sunglasses off my face and gave them to Esme, who put them in her purse.

"Just had to make myself a grilled cheese sandwich. Love those things," Pat called out to me as she walked down the hall. "I'm sorry I'm moving so slow… I'm a little on the tired side this morning."

"You're fine," I told her as she rounded the corner and walked into the room. When she saw that I was with someone else, she froze.

"Alex," she said simply. "Who is this?"

"Pat, I'd like you to meet my mother… Esme," I said. "Your aunt."

I saw the glass and plate slip from Pat's hands, so I ran forward to catch them before they hit the ground.

"My… my aunt," Pat whispered.

Esme smiled kindly and walked toward her. "I must say, this… this is amazing. It's so wonderful to meet you. I never thought that I'd still have family around for me to see, let alone a _niece._"

Pat stared at her for a moment before looking at me.

"Well, this isn't fair," she muttered.

Esme and I both frowned. "Is something wrong?" I asked.

Pat smiled. "No. I'm just jealous that my aunt looks younger than I do. Are you trying to make me feel bad, cousin?"

I laughed, and Esme joined in.

"Give me a hug, auntie! This is great!" Pat cheered.

Esme embraced her niece.

"So, I've just _got_ to ask you…" Pat said after leaving Esme's arms. "What is your husband like?"

Esme giggled to herself, and the two sat down on the couch. "He's a wonderful man, and I absolutely love him. Carlisle is a doctor, a great father, a sweetheart, and… he treats me better than I ever thought a man would."

Esme could say so many great things about Carlisle. Yet, with the past that she's had, that one statement showed how much she loved him. I was overcome with emotion, the feeling of tears stinging at my eyes.

"Good," Pat said. "You deserve so much better than you had."

Esme let out a laugh and looked down at her hands, which were folded in her lap. "I got a second chance. I've been lucky."

Her gaze traveled to me. "I've been lucky in a lot of ways."

A choked sob escaped my lips, and I ran to my mother, engulfing her in my arms.

Pat laughed. "What an adorable family!"

I broke from Esme's arms and smiled at my cousin.

"And, god, where are my manners?" she asked. "Can I take your scarves and gloves? I'll put them in my closet for you."

"If you don't mind, that would be wonderful," Esme said, pulling her scarf off her head.

I slipped off my gloves, and when I did Pat shrieked.

"Oh my goodness!" she cried. "Your hand!"

She yanked my left hand into hers.

"Is this what I think it is?" she asked me with a huge smile, and I giggled.

"Yes," I said, wiggling my ring finger. "This is my engagement ring."

"Isn't it beautiful?" Esme asked.

Parker proposed to me about two months after I had gotten home from Volterra. We had decided to go for a walk. The sun was out, and we passed a patch of daisies that wasn't too far from the house. We approached it, hand in hand, and Parker plucked one out of the ground.

"_For you," he said, sticking the flower in my hair._

"_Thank you," I replied with a giggle and a smile._

_He chuckled in response and began to rub the back of his neck._

"_Is something wrong?" I asked him._

"_No," he told me. "There's just… something else I wanted to give you."_

"_Oh?" I inquired, raising my eyebrows. "And what would that be?"_

_I watched him reach into his pocket and simultaneously get down on one knee. I let out an incredibly loud gasp as my hands flew to cover my mouth, something that Esme and Rosalie seemed to do. Parker revealed the little black velvet box and opened the lid. Inside sat a beautiful ring that had a large diamond surrounded by a ring of tiny ones. _

"_Alex… we've been through a lot. And although we've had difficulties, I have never stopped loving you. If anything, my love for you has grown stronger after each challenge that we've faced, and I promise that I will _always_ love you. Will you marry me?"_

_I let out a very girly shriek and wrapped my arms around his neck._

"_Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" I squealed, kissing him hard on the lips. _

_I heard cheering from the direction of the house, and when I looked, all of my family was watching from the windows. Emmett was whistling, to which Rosalie just shook her head._

"_Stalkers!" I called out._

"_Not necessarily!" Esme yelled back._

"_Like we'd miss this!" Rosalie said._

_Alice squealed from where she watched. "Oh my gosh, I've barely been able to hold in my excitement since I saw Parker's idea! This is fantastic! I get to plan _another _wedding!"_

"Yes, this ring is _amazing_!" Pat murmured, yanking me out of my reverie. "Am I ever gonna meet both of your men?"

Esme chuckled as I said, "That's actually why we're here."

I reached into my jacket and pulled out a white envelope, handing it to my cousin.

"What is this?" she asked.

"Why don't you open it and find out?" Esme asked with a smile.

Pat tore open the envelope and pulled out the lilac slip of paper. "Your wedding invitation!"

"Alice made it especially for you," I told her, "since we aren't officially sending them out."

"Alice?" Pat inquired.

"One of my sisters," I said, to which she nodded and read over the invitation.

"July 18th," she said aloud.

"It would be Alex's nineteenth birthday," Esme said with a smile, putting her arm on mine.

"And it's going to be at your home?" Pat questioned.

Esme nodded. "We have a very spacious backyard, beautiful scenery. Alice is in charge of the decoration and things."

I huffed and jokingly rolled my eyes. Alice wouldn't tell me _any_ of the plans for the yard's design. It was _killing_ me. It was going to be a surprise, she told me. I wanted to at least have a feel for what my own wedding was going to look like.

_My own wedding._ The thought felt strange, almost unbelievable. At a younger age, I never had thoughts about a dream wedding or a dream fiancée. It wasn't something that I fantasied. Yet, now that the time was actually here, it seemed unreal. Time has just flown by, and I'm sure my family would agree… or would they? It seems like just yesterday that I showed up on the doorstep of our Forks home.

If Pat saw my little eye roll, she ignored it. "Well… you all live in Canada, right?"

Ah yes, Canada. In January of this year, Esme and Carlisle sat us down and said we'd be moving to a spacious house there. It was secluded, in the woods, and very lavish (what would you expect with this family?). Carlisle would be working in a hospital that was quite a drive from the new home, but when you didn't have to worry about sleeping or eating, it wasn't a big deal for him. The area the hospital was in generally was rainy, so that was why he decided to apply for a job there, as opposed to somewhere else.

Carlisle was going to play the young doctor card once more, and say he had a wife and nine adopted children that were home-schooled. Jasper and Rosalie would be Hales and twins, as usual. Emmett, Edward, and Alice would be the Cullen siblings. Bella, Nessie, and Parker were going to be Swans, which I found entertaining. Then, there was me, Alex Parker. I'd be the odd one out.

Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Bella, and I would pose as eighteen. Edward and Parker would be seventeen. Alice and Nessie were sixteen. It was good to come up with these things, Carlisle told me, in case something ever came up.

"Yes, we moved there recently, actually," Esme told Pat. "And look in the envelope. There's more."

Pat reached her hand in and pulled out the slip of paper.

"A round trip ticket," I said with a smile. "That way, you can be at the wedding."

"That's very kind of you," she murmured. "How much do I owe you for this?"

"Oh, nothing," Esme laughed. "Consider it a gift."

Pat looked conflicted. "Well, I… I can't just _take_ this from you."

"Of course you can," Esme muttered. "You're family."

Pat's eyes widened, and she looked back and forth between my mother and me.

"Family," she repeated, and with that big, fat tears began to roll down her cheeks.

Esme smiled at her, looking like she was trying not to cry, before she wrapped her arms around her niece. I joined them in their hug.

"_Family_," I whispered.

* * *

><p>I paced back and forth, breathing in deeply, although it wasn't necessary. My throat felt tight and dry, and if I <em>still<em> had a heartbeat, it would be going at a mile a minute. The sun was beginning to set, lighting everything with a dim glow.

"Calm down, sweetheart," Carlisle murmured, putting his hand on my shoulder. "You can stop worrying. You'll be fine."

I tried to give him a smile, but it wasn't reassuring and he could tell. My father grabbed both of my hands.

"Listen to me," he said. "You look absolutely beautiful, and I'm not just saying that because I'm your father. I promise you will make it down the aisle without the slightest problem. I will be with you every step of the way."

"Forever and always, dad?" I asked him.

He smiled and kissed me on the forehead. "Forever and always."

I heard the wedding march begin, and Carlisle pulled the veil down over my face. He adjusted the tiara on my head and handed me my bouquet.

"Well, let's get going, shall we?" he asked.

I nodded, placing my hand in his.

With Carlisle helping me maneuver the ground in my heels and dress, we rounded the house to the backyard, where the small group sat waiting for me to arrive. Everyone was there- my family, Pat, the Denalis, Emi, Jeanette, Ian. We managed to track down Francesca (it didn't hurt that she was still keeping an eye on me from time to time), and she and Belvedere were sitting in the audience. Yet, the most surprising guests had to be the Volturi. Marcus, Felix, Demetri, Letty, and the others sat together… and, since they were here, my family was keeping a _very_ close eye on Pat.

I saw Esme's face when I came into view, and I couldn't help but smile. Alice's choice in dress was pretty spectacular. She wanted me to be "mom and dad's princess" – as she said – and so I had a ball gown wedding dress. It was one-shouldered, and the strap was adorned with a flower. The dress had a sweetheart neck line, and the incredible skirt came down in beautiful layers. My shoes were white peep-toe heels and they had flowers on them, similar to the one on the strap of my dress. My hair was in a fancy up-do, held together by fancy clips. Rosalie was in charge of doing my hair and make-up, and both those and my dress were flawless. The two really outdid themselves.

The layout for the backyard was amazing, too. Alice really emphasized that my favorite color was the purple that filled my room. Lavender and white followers covered the area, wrapped around the white benches with purple cushions that the guests sat on and the archway where the priest stood. White, twinkling lights – the kind I adored – hung from the many trees, adding to the glow from the setting sun.

It was all so much to take in as I approached the white carpet of the aisle. I saw Esme, her hand covering her mouth, and all my siblings giggling as I made my way towards them. Francesca, Emi, and Letty were giving me bright smiles, and when I passed Marcus he nodded in greeting.

And then there was Parker. Standing in front of the priest, looking incredible in his tuxedo, smiling at me. Carlisle and I continued to walk forward, and when I reached my fiancée, Carlisle lifted the veil off my face. He gave me a kiss on the cheek, and went to sit back with my mother.

I moved to stand with Parker, and he continued to smile. I smiled back at him as the priest gave everyone the word to sit back down.

The priest went on with the service, and while I did listen to him, I couldn't take my eyes off of Parker's face. His gaze never left my face, his golden eyes looking at me. And while we said our vows, gave our promises of forever, we stared into each other's eyes.

Then, when the priest said Parker could kiss the bride, he captured my lips in a searing kiss. I kissed him back with all of my might, my hands sliding around his neck. The applause roared, and I even heard Emmett whooping.

After Parker broke his dizzying kiss and I looked out into the smiling faces of my family, I knew… That forever and always Carlisle mentioned? It was just beginning.

And I couldn't be happier.

**-oOo-**

**And… with that, it's done. Wow. Unbelievable. I'd love to hear your reviews. Wanna leave one? It's Alex's birthday today! Yep, July 18th! Well, it's July 18th where I am. ;) If we're going by book time, since it's 2012, Alex would be seventeen!**


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